


Her Shadow

by Ravenblossom



Series: Her Shadow [1]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fem!Kagami, Gen, I don't know if I should tag this GOM x Kagami, M/M, Multi, Reverse Harem, Slight Canon Divergence, and probably Riko and Momoi too, basketball boys falling in love wtih a tall athletic agressive girl lol, because Kagami will have to deal with being a girl on a boys team, but they'll all show it in their own way some more forward some tsundere, gender bending Kagami, these boys will get a crush on her, this is probably going to turn into a shojo, though that certainly won't be the entire fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-03-13 12:10:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 50
Words: 201,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13570335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ravenblossom/pseuds/Ravenblossom
Summary: While recruiting for the basketball team a girl shows up wanting to join. AU where Kagami is a girl and plays on the boys team.





	1. The First Years

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so normally I don't like gender bent characters. I feel like it can often be used as a way to make ships heterosexual. However, I do like the idea of female Kagami and not for shipping purposes. I just like the idea of a girl wanting to play on the boy's team, out play the generation of miracles and become the best in Japan and ultimately the struggles she'd have to go through to be on the team. And also, Kuroko choosing a girl to defeat the generation of miracles. This is basically AFAB Kagami who identifies as a girl. (Though anyone of course is free to read her as trans if anyone needs it I can let anyone know if I write a chapter where this may not be possible.) 
> 
> As far as shipping goes, I have no plans for and end game pair. There will be crushes and I think the boys will more likely openly flirt with a girl where as with the boys they would tread more carefully to see if the other was into guys (except for maybe Kise lol). And I may put this fic in a series and have fics for certain ships that can be taken as optional canon for the fic? We'll see. I'm such a multishipper.
> 
> The fic won't be a complete rewrite of the series. The first chapter is the first two episodes just to establish Kuroko and Kagami's friendship. The rest will be different points in the series, mostly her meeting the GOM and interactions with them and other characters. You won't necessarily need to read all the chapters if there's certain characters or parts of the show that you don't care for. Because it's ultimately going to have the same end.

April first. Cherry blossoms fell from the trees and booths were set up around the school hoping to recruit the new freshmen into their clubs. Riko had made sure to print plenty of flyers for the basketball club which she had Mitobe, Koganei, Izuki, and Tsucida passing out while she and Hyuga sat at the booth, waiting for new member to inquire about the club.

After a few hours, only three applications sat in front of her.

“It would be nice to get more.” She commented. But Seirin was a new school and had no reputation for their basketball team. Their seniors were only second years and with the generation of miracles now of high school age, making it to the top seemed impossible.

“Hey coach, I found one.” Koganei said approaching the table and pointing a the student behind him.

Riko gasped. Behind him was a tall girl, taller than everyone on the team except for Kiyoshi, with red hair pulled into a pony tail.

“Is this where I sign up for the basketball club?” She asked, not once smiling. In fact, it looked more like she was there for a fight.

Riko blinked. “Um yeah… but… this is…”

“You don’t have a girl’s team.” She said as if reading Riko’s mind. “But don’t worry, I can probably play better than any of the boys.”

Next to her, Hyuga scoffed but he didn’t say anything.

Riko did a quick scan of her body and could already see that her numbers were high. It would be unorthodox, but if she could prove herself she’d have her on the team.

“Um… here’s the application.”

Riko slid the paper in front of her.

The girl filled it out and then gave the paper to Riko.

“See you at practice.” She said without saying another word.

Riko read over her application. Kagami Taiga…

“Huh she went to school in America.”

“So she learned to play from the source.” Hyuga snorted still annoyed with her comment.

“What do you think of her?”

He shrugged. “She talks big but we’ll see how she plays. Can a girl really play on our team?”

“There’s no rule that says she can’t.” It was rare but Riko had known that girls had played on boys teams before. They had to be absolutely exceptional to do so.

At the end of the day Riko gathered the four applications, way less than she had hoped to receive. The rest of the team helped her clean up the booth.

“Hey, I think you missed this one.” Izuki handed her a piece of paper that had been sitting at the end of the table.

Riko held it up. “Kuroko Tetsuya…” She continued and then nearly dropped the application. “What! He went to Teiko junior high! And he’s the same age as the generation of miracles!”

* * *

 

Kagami walked into the gym her head held high and ready for all the snide remarks that would inevitably come from the boys. But she’d prove that she was the best, she had to if she wanted to play on the team.

The night before the first day of school, she had talked to Alex on the phone, explaining to her that her new school had no girls team and that she’d be trying out for the boys. Alex was in full support but warned her the team would hold her to much higher standards compared to the boys. That and the other boys may flirt with her to which Alex said to either turn then down right away or go for it. Kagami could only imagine that she said the last part with a wink.

“Hey are you the manager?” A timid first year asked her.

She frowned. And so it started “No I’m playing on this team.”

“What a girl!!!” He said loudly.

“Well she is pretty tall…much taller than us.”

She groaned. If only there was a basketball she could show them just what she could do, but despite it being a club meeting, there was no basketball in sight.

The girl from the booth entered the gym and looked around at everyone.

“Alright everyone seems to be here.” She said getting the team’s attention.

“That’s got to be the manager, and she’s pretty cute.” Another first year said. Kagami rolled her eyes.

“Wrong again!” A guy with glasses said loudly. Kagami remembered seeing him at the basketball club booth.

The girl flashed a smile. “I’m the boy’s basketball coach, Aida Riko!”

“What!” The three other first years shouted.

But Kagami grinned and was a bit relieved. She was going to like this team.

“Alright take off your shirts!” She suddenly ordered.

All eyes went to Kagami.

Riko sighed. “Um not you Kagami.”

But Kagami was already taking hers off. The boys stared at her wide eyed. Underneath she had a sports bra, something that wouldn’t be unusual to see at a gym. She had fairly small breasts anyway, just as she liked them. She didn’t need them getting in the way of playing the game.

“Those abs!” one guy squealed.

“Her arms!”

“Alright, come on already.” Riko was getting impatient.

The other boys took off theirs and they all seemed very self conscious. One look at them and Kagami could tell that she had more well toned muscles than all of them.

 Riko walked examining them and commenting on their bodies, mostly of how weak they were and where they needed to work out.

“Her dad is a personal trainer and coach spent days at his work. All she sees is numbers when she looks at someone’s body.” A second year explained.

Then Riko stood in front of her took one look and gasped. She continued to look to the point that it was making Kagami uncomfortable.

“Hey coach how long do you need with her?”

“Her numbers are just… so high…”

Kagami grinned. All those days at the gym and practicing with Alex had paid off.

“Okay that’s everyone.” Riko announced.

“Hey did Kuroko ever show up… the guy from Teiko middle school?” Hyuga asked.

“Teiko middle school!” a first year exclaimed.

“Um…” a voice next to Kagami spoke. She shrieked and jumped. She swore that no one was standing next to her.

“I’m Kuroko.” He said.

“How long have you been there!” Riko was just as spooked as Kagami.

“I’ve been here the whole time”

 _There’s no way._ Thought Kagami. She would have known if someone was standing right next to her.

“Kuroko are you from the generation of miracles?” someone asked.

_Generation of miracles? What the hell does that mean?_

“Um I did play in games with them.”

“Alright just take your shirt off.” Rikos said.

Kagami watched. The guy was skinny and had no muscle. He looked like he had never played a sport in his life. The coach didn’t seem impressed either.

The rest of practice was getting to know the rest of the team. Most of the guys were curious about her, asking where she played and why the boys team, understanding when she informed them that there was no team for the girls. She was actually greatful that hter was only a boys team at Seirin. Before her third year of junior high, she moved back to japan and attended an all girl’s school where she played on the basketball team. And she was so much better than everyone on her team and all her opponents. There was no challenge to the games that she played and they were just… boring.

In America she could keep up just fine with the boys that she’d play with after school. So why not just join the boys team?

“By the way.” She began. “I don’t date teammates.”

A few of the boys looked quite disappointed at that statement. But it was better to lay it down now before any decided they wanted to ask her for a date.

While talking to her teammates she learned about a group of guys her age called the generation of miracles that attended Teiko Junior high and were all basketball prodigies. Apparently no school could beat their team. And Kuroko supposedly went to that school. Kagami searched for Kuroko among her teammates. It took her a minute to find him, his presence was so low. But when she did she stared him up and down still unable to believe that he was an athlete. But maybe looks were just deceiving. After all, most people weren’t going to believe that she could play as well as the boys.

Riko sent Mitobe and Izuki to get a cart of basketballs to let the first years practice. As soon as it rolled into the gym Kagami stood up ready to play.

“Hey Kagami show off what you can do.” A first year said.

Kagami grinned and eyes Mitobe, who responded by tossing her a ball.  She caught it ran towards the basketball dribbling. Once she was near the basket, she jumped and dunked it into the net.

“Wow she can dunk!” One of the boys exclaimed.

“And she’s so fast.”

Kagami looked over at her teammates. Even the second years and Riko seemed impressed.

* * *

 

After practice she was starving, so she went to Magi Burger. She ordered a stack of hamburgers, some fries and a drink and carried it to a table, then unwrapped one and started to eat ignoring the stares from everyone because of her huge plate of food.

 _Generation of Miracles?_ She thought. _A group of unbeatable basketball prodigies?_ Then she grinned. _Looks like I’m going to have to beat them all._

“Um…” A voice said.

Kagami turned and saw the blue haired boy Kuroko, sitting in the seat across from him drinking a vanilla shake.

She jumped and nearly choked on her food. “How long have you been there!”

“I was here before you.” He said.

“What…” She blinked. How could she not have seen him?

She had forgotten to watch him play earlier at practice… in fact she didn’t even see him on the court. And she had meant to watch the guy that attended Teiko middle school. Surely he had some skills.

 “Hey.” She said. “When I’m done eating let’s go play some one on one.”

Kuroko nodded. “I was actually wanting to play against you as well.”

Kagami smiled and took another bite, certain that he would give her a good game.

Unknown to them a girl with pink hair was walking by Magi Burger and saw the two of them sitting together at the table.

* * *

 

Kagami dribbled the ball. It was time to see what this kid from Teiko middle school could do. She rushed by him, Kuroko barely had time to react to her. She picked up her speed expecting him to be right behind to steal, but he was far back. And then she jumped and dunked the ball.

“Alright your ball.” She tossed it to him.

Kuroko held the ball and then dribbled weakly. She could have easily stolen the it from him. Then he started to move past her… so slow...

 _Come on already._ She thought hoping to see something amazing. _Maybe he just needs to warm up._

Kuroko practically walked by her and shot the ball. She watched, waiting for it to go into the basket… but it bounced off the rim.

_Okay…_

They continued to play but Kuroko didn’t improve. He could barely dribble, never made a shot and he was so slow compared to her... compared to most of the girls on her middle school team.

_Okay he’s kind of terrible…_

* * *

 

“Dai-chan! It’s horrible!”

“Huh?” He opened his eyes and yawned. Looking out his window the sun was nearly set. Still he wanted more sleep.

Momoi stood over him, hands on her knees and panting. Where ever she was, she must have run to get here.

Aomine rubbed his eyes. “Satsuki what’s horrible.” He asked expecting it to be something petty.

“Tetsu-kun… I saw him at Magi burger, and he was eating with a girl!” She sounded as though she were in agony as she finished.

“What?” He sat up. Did Kuroko really get a girlfriend before him?

“And I looked at Seirin’s team for this year… they have a girl. And the one Tetsu-kun was with matches her description!”

Aomine started to laugh. “A girl? Is Seirin really that desperate?” He knew they were a new school and their oldest players were second years. Why Kurko would choose to go there he had no idea. But then again, without him Kuroko was nothing, and no schools with good basketball team had tried to recruit him anyway.

“Um… I saw them going to play at one of the basketball courts, and… I looked up some information on her…” Momoi flipped through her notebook. “She went to an all girls middle school her third year of junior high. Before that she went to school in America… but when she played on her middle school team she was very good… the other teams had trouble scoring against her and she could easily score at least 80 points in one game…”

“Satsuki it was the girl’s team.” But the fact that she could score so many points against the other team did get his attention. “What does she look like?”

“She has red hair and is about 190 centimeters tall, and about an A cup.” She said the last part with spite.

“Well no wonder she was good, she was much taller than most of the other players.” But now that he thought about it, this girl was taller than most of the guys on Touou.

“Dai-chan what if she’s his new light?”

Aomine scoffed. “I’m not worried, those two will never beat me.” Although the thought of Kuroko replacing him, despite Aomine being the one to throw him away, did bother him. It almost… hurt. And he be lying to himself if said he wasn’t even a little curious about her.

He sat up. “So, you said that they are playing at one of the basketball courts?”

Momoi nodded.

“Well let’s go check this girl out.” He grinned.

* * *

 

It wasn’t hard to find them. Aomine figured that they would go to the courts near the Magi burger where he and Kuroko always ate.

He easily picked out Kagami. There weren’t many girls as tall as her. It took him a moment to find Kuroko, but he watched Kagami rush past him and dunk the ball. It was the first time he had ever seen a girl dunk and he was a bit taken aback.

He squinted to get a better look. He had kept a distance so that they wouldn’t notice him, not wanting a confrontation with Kuroko. Kagami had well toned muscles and as Momoi had said, towered over Kuroko, but her face was cute and she had a nice butt. Then he watched Kuroko, who was absolutely no match for her one on one, but that’s not how Kuroko played. Still… he seemed to be having fun? And Aomine had no doubt that he was planning to make her his new light.

“She’s manlier than he is.” Aomine said more to make himself feel better about the situation.

“Do you think they’re dating?”

“Who knows. Maybe she’s Tetsu’s type.”

“What!” Momoi eyes welled with tears.

“Hey, I said she might be.” He rolled his eyes and worried that Momoi’s outburst might get their attention. “Why don’t you ask Tetsu yourself.”

He and Momoi watched. He noted her moves, her speed, and her technique.

 “So what do you think of her?” Momoi asked.

Aomine shrugged. “She’s good, but no where near as good as me.” He was much faster than her and she’d never be able to keep his play style.

He had seen enough and started to leave.

“Dai-chan where are you going?”

“I’m done watching.”

“Why don’t you go ask if you can play with them?” Momoi sounded so hopeful.

“No that would be a waste of time.”

* * *

 

She grabbed the rebound after Kuroko shot the ball and held it. This game was a waste of her time. She tucked the basketball under her arm and glared at Kuroko.

“Hey… you haven’t scored a single basket and you can barely dribble. What’s going on?” She would be furious if he had just been messing with her.

“Um nothing, you’re just a much stronger player.”

She groaned. The guy didn’t seem the least bit upset at the gap in their abilities. “Then why did you want to play a one on one against me?”

“I just wanted to see how good you were.”

She put her hand on her head. “Did you really play with the generation of miracles?”

“I did play in games with them.”

“Is that how you played?” She couldn’t imagine this supposed legendary middle school team letting a guy like him play.

“No I don’t play like the others.”

“Obviously.” She scoffed.

“I love basketball more than anything,” He started. “But I’m a supporting player.” He paused. His eyes had no emotion yet there seemed to be a tiredness behind them. “I am a shadow.” He finished.

* * *

 

At practice the next day, Kagami sat waiting for the coach to arrive. The other first years were gathered around her talking as a group, but she wasn’t really listening.

“A shadow huh?” Kagami was trying to figure out what that meant. He didn’t even explain it, and just said that she would understand soon. 

The coach entered the gym grinning.

“We going to start with a five on five practice, first years vs second years. This will decide who is on first, second, and third string.”

Kagami stood up smiling. Finally, a chance to play and she would make sure that she would get on first string.

The first years gathered around and decided their positions among themselves. She was the tallest of the first years… actually she was the tallest one on the team, so she would play center and would do the tip off.

She stood across from Mitobe. She was taller than him and was confident that she would get the ball first.

Riko held the ball tossed it up and blew her whistle.

Kagami jumped reaching the ball first and hit it to Furihata. Then she ran to the basket.

“Furihata!” She called out to him. He threw the ball to her and she dunked it grinning as she landed. The first years started with the lead.

But the following plays didn’t go as smooth. The second years put two guys on her. And if the balls was passed to her, another would come to block. On one hand she was flattered that they saw her as a threat, on the other, well the other first years couldn’t score and they kept getting the ball stolen away from them, so her keeping two or three guys off the others was completely pointless.

Soon the score was 30 to 15.

Getting desperate, she ran from the two guys hoping to get a pass put some distance between them when the ball ended up in her hands. She looked around wondering where that pass came from and then shot the ball before Koganei and Hyuga could catch up to her.

Their team ran to the other side of the court and as she was chasing down the second year the ball ended up in her hands again.

Blinking she ran dribbling back to her end of the court.

“How did you steal that ball from me! And how long have you been playing the game!”

“I’ve been here the whole time.”

She scored again and pumping her fist in the air once she landed back on the ground. But just where were those passes coming from?

And it kept happening. Once it ended up in Furihata’s hands. Another in Kawahara’s. The first years were making a come back, and she was scoring most of the points.

Finally, they were down one point with fifteen seconds to go and the second years had the ball. She spotted Kuroko intercepting a pass to Hyuga and passed it right to her hands.

_Kuroko? Has he been her the whole time?_

She caught the ball and ran down the court. Three second years blocked her, there was no way she could score not with Mitobe blocking. She passed the ball back to Furihata. Seeing as he was about to shoot, the second years ran by her to him, but he passed to Kuroko who was standing right under the basket.

Kuroko got ready to shoot and by his form Kagami knew he wasn’t going to make a basket. She ran to him. Kuroko threw the ball up towards the basket. It wouldn’t even go high enough to reach the rim. She jumped, grabbed the ball and dunked it.

“Seriously Kuroko what was that.” She said as she landed. But to her surprise, he was smiling at her.

The game ended and she and the other first years started to cheer while the second years stood in stunned silence.

“You’re the best kagami!” Kawahara gave her a high five.

“Yeah we couldn’t have won with out you!” Fukuda fist bumped her.

She couldn’t say anything but grin widely.

Hyuga walked up to her his head down. “Well you proved yourself.” He held out a fist bump and she returned it.

* * *

 

After practice and not being in the mood to cook her own dinner, she went to Magi Burger again. She carried a stack of burgers to a booth and sat down. She was about to take her first bit when she looked across the table to see Kuroko there.

“What!” She nearly fell out of her seat. “Why are you there!”

“You came to sit with me.”

She groaned for having this happen a second time and tossed him a burger. “You need to grow some more.”

“Um thank you.”

She and Kuroko ate mostly in silence. But she kept her eyes on him. Those passes during the game had to have been coming from him. After she saw him steal a pass headed for Hyuga she was sure of it.  

He ate showing almost no emotion. But Kagami got the feeling that he did enjoy her company.

When she finished the last of her food she stood up.

“Walk home with me.”

They walked and Kagami continued to stare at him trying to figure him out. He was so much shorter than her that they must have looked strange to other people walking by.

“So, the generation of miracles, just how strong are they? I mean if I were to play against them… how would I do?”

“They’d destroy you.”

“What!” She was about to protest but then stopped herself. “Did you have to be so blunt?”

Kuroko didn’t say anything more. Not a single word of encouragement.

“Fine, I’ll show you… I’ll play against every one of them and I’ll defeat them all.” She grinned. “And I’ll be the number one basketball player in Japan.”

“No… that would be impossible.”

“Huh?” She frowned, figuring that he meant it was because she was a girl.

“You have a lot of potential and you’re by far the best player on the team, but you can’t do it alone…” He looked up at her. “I’ll help you.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to help me?”

“I told you that I am a shadow. The brighter the light the darker the shadow and it will make the light stand out…” He paused. “I’ll help make your light the strongest in Japan.”

In any other situation she would have groaned at the cheesiness as it sounded like it came out of a very bad shoujo manga. But she couldn’t help but be touched that he did believe in her, despite being a girl on the boy’s team.

“You- You really think I can do it?”

Kuroko nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think there will be a few things different with Kagami and her initial interactions with the characters especially Kuroko. She would have to prove that she belongs on the boys team so she'd put up a bit of a tough exterior and be a little... pompous? As for Kuroko, male Kagami was a bit harsh with him because everyone was immediately going to accept him as an exceptional player. Female Kagami, well people are going to be initially doubtful of her. She she's not going to quickly judge Kuroko as someone horrible. 
> 
> I don't like changing character names so looked up the name Taiga and one site said that it could be used for a boy or a girl? If that's not the case I can change it if it would be too distracting.
> 
> Up next, time to meet Kise!


	2. Kise

“I’m Kagami Taiga, class 1B and I will defeat the generation of miracles and become the best in Japan!” She shouted from the rooftop.

* * *

 

Her eyes started to close but thankfully it was the end of class and time for lunch. Her stomach let out a loud growl as the teacher finished the lesson.

Kuroko was in the desk next to her putting his things away. No one other than her seemed to notice that he was in their classroom. There were times that even she forgot that he was sitting right next to her. Even more annoying, he once fell asleep in class and the teacher never noticed. Whereas she once started to nod off and was called out almost right away.

But on the down side... no one but her noticed him in the classroom.

She glanced outside. The sun was out and it was a warm day.

“Hey Kuroko.”

He looked over at her.

“Do you want to go outside and eat?”

He looked a little surprised she had asked. “Um sure.”

They carried their lunches out to the court yard and she led the way, passing other students that were watching them, though she had a feeling that they were staring more at her because of her height and doubt that they even noticed Kuroko.

Kuroko stared off in the distance and seemed more distant that usual.

“Hey is something bothering you?” She asked.

“I didn’t get to shout my name on the roof top.” He looked at her. “Do you think they’ll still let me play in games?”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course they will. It wasn’t your fault that a faculty member came and told us to get off the roof. And if Fukuda didn’t go and tell his life story you would have had the time.” She then shrugged. “It was a stupid challenge anyway.”

She led him to a shady area under a tree.

“Is this spot okay?”

“Yes its fine.”

Kagami sat and adjusted her uniform and wishing she could be in her gym clothes. Because she was so tall hers had to be specially ordered for her and the skirt showed a lot of leg… and hers were long.

She looked over at Kuroko's lunch and frowned at the meager portions.

“Why do you have so little food?”

“I woke up late and I didn’t have that much time to make lunch.”

She sighed and brought hers over to him. “Take some of mine, I made way too much last night.” She started to dispense some into his bento box.   


“You don’t-“

“We have practice after school, I don’t want you running out of energy.”

He took a bite and his eyes widened.

“It’s really good.”

She smiled.

 “You can cook Kagami!”

She nearly dropped her food at the sound of Hyuga’s voice as she hadn’t noticed him or the other second years approach. They sat down around her and Kuroko.

“Um yeah… my mentor Alex taught me.” She then folded her arms. “Apparently my diet was awful." She remembered Alex being disgusted that she and Himuro would eat last night's pizza for breakfast and were always getting fast food and that if they wanted to be good athletes they would have to eat better. So she'd take them to her house in the evenings after practice and teach them how to cook.

"But after I came back to Japan I taught myself how to make Japanese meals.”

Hyuga and Izuki looked at her food, their mouth watering while Mitobe opened up his own delicious looking food. But she wasn’t going to share anymore.

“You should teach the coach how to cook, her food is toxic!”

“What was that Koganei?” Riko asked in a low voice and sat down next to Kagami.

“Um… nothing!”  

She glared at him and then focused on Kagami. “You know, if you two eat together like this every day,” She nodded her head at Kuroko, people are going to start talking.”

Kagami shrugged. “I doubt anyone will see him, and if they do, just tell whoever that I don’t date teammates. I mean the last thing we need is relationship drama.”

Riko nodded seeming relieved. She ate her food and then stood up.

“Coach you’re leaving us already?” Izuki said.

“I need to make a call to confirm a practice game.” She said and walked off.

Kagami then went to say something to Kuroko but was unable to locate him. She looked around only to find him sitting in the same spot as he had been when they first arrived.

_Will I ever get used to that?_

* * *

 

The last class ended. She waited for Kuroko to get his things and they went to practice, stopping at their respective locker rooms to change into gym clothes.

The basketballs were already set out in the gym and many of her teammates were already practicing although Izuki and Koganei were whispering to each other. She grabbed a ball and dribbled it to the basket and shot it. It looped around and then fell in. She glanced to her side and noticed that Izuki was whispering to Mitobe. Something about his facial expression made her nervous.

Hyuga walked into the gym and did not look one bit happy about the second years standing around talking amongst themselves.

“Why aren’t you guys practicing! Your second years for crying out loud! Be good role models!”

“Um coach is skipping practice today.” Izuki said.

Hyuga expression completely changed and he put his hand on his forehead. “This is never good.”

Furihata dropped his basket ball. “Huh? What does it mean when she skips?” 

“It means she’s found a very strong opponent for us to play.”

* * *

 

Riko strolled into the gym at the end of practice grinning. The second years looked at her with dread while Kagami and the first years were more curious… with the exception of Kuroko who had no emotion whatsoever on his face.

“Alright just tell us who we’re are playing.” Hyuga said adjusting his glasses.

“Kaijo.” She said ginning more widely.

“Seriously!” Izuki shouted. “They’re one of the top schools!”

“And they have one of the generation of miracles.” Riko added. “Kise Ryouta.”

Kagami looked at Kuroko. She’d have to ask him about Kise. But she could barely contain her excitement. Already she was going to get to face one of the generation of miracles.

“Kise the model?” Tsuchida said disbelieving.

“Alright, were going to have double the practice to prepare for this game. And we're going start by working on defense!”

She walked back near the basket, wondering if they were going to put her on center. Mitobe was their official center but she was taller. She hoped not as she much preferred to play power forward.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of yelling and screaming. A huge group of girls crowded around someone at the entrance to the gym. Everyone else on the team also noticed.

“He’s so cute!” One of the girls shouted.

“I can’t believe Kise Ryouta is here!”

Kuroko sighed and she blinked, not realizing he was right next to her.

“That's him?” She folded her arms.

He nodded.

A tall blond high school student made his way out from the crowd of girls. He held up his hand towards them as if telling them to wait and then he looked around until he spotted Kuroko and then smiled.

“Kurokocchi!” He ran over to him.

“Um…” Kuroko began but was interrupted by Hyuga.

“Hey what are you doing here!”

“I heard that my team is playing Seirin next week so I had to come and say hi to Kurokocchi!” He put his arms around Kuroko.

“Please stop.”

“We were the best of friends in middle school.”

“Um… not anymore than anyone else.”

“What so mean!”

Kagami sighed and looked around for a basketball. She saw one rolling towards the other side of the gym and went to fetch it. Might as well challenge him to a one on one while he’s here and see how strong the generation of miracles are. All her other team mates were standing around Kuroko and Kise, some annoyed, other's amused.

“Well actually I don’t have as much experience as the others… so I’m actually the weakest of them.” Kagami caught the end of what ever he was telling the others. Kise sighed. “They used to bully me and Kurokocchi for it.”

“That didn’t happen to me..”

“What! You mean it was only me!” He pouted.

Kagami watched him in disbelief. This guy was part of the generation of miracles?

“Hey Kise!” She called out to him.

He turned his attention to her and she tossed him the basketball. “Let’s play one on one.”

“Kagami what are you doing.” Riko said in a low voice.

Kise looked at her, and stared for a moment and looked at the basketball she had tossed to him. “Um okay sure.” He walked over looking around the gym. “Is the girl’s team practicing in here too?” 

“No, Seirin doesn’t have a girls team, I’m on this one.” Now that she was up close to him she could see why he was a model. The guy was prettier than her.

Kise threw his jacket off and passed her the ball. “Your ball first, we’ll see what you can do.”

She stood across from him and he seemed a little surprised that she was slightly taller than him. The she started to dribble keeping her eyes locked on his. He stared back at her and then… he winked. Getting angry, she faked left and then ran past him. Kise ran after her and she avoided a steal by turning the opposite direction, running behind him and dunking the ball. She smirked at him once she landed.

“Hey that was amazing!” Kise complimented. “I didn’t know girls could dunk.”

She grinned and threw the ball to him.

Kise dribbled. She kept her eyes on him trying to figure out what he would do first. He faked left, and moved much quicker than she had, and then he ran past her. She chased after him and tried to steal but he turned the opposite direction much faster than she had done and then jumped to dunk. Kagami tried to block him but he was much stronger.

She lost her footing when she landed and fell to the floor. She stared up at him stunned.

That was _exactly what I did…._ Then she frowned. _That’s really annoying._

“Go Kise!” One of the girls on the sidelines yelled.

“Yeah, do your best Kise!” There were several more shouts to him.

 _Tch thanks for supporting your school girls._ She rolled her eyes and then got up.

They played to ten points and she only scored one more basket. No matter what, Kise was faster and stronger and he copied every one of her moves.

When they were done, Kise looked at her as if he almost felt guilty.

_So he's that much stronger than me, and he's the weakest..._

“Um…" Kise began. "Don’t feel so bad, you’re actually really good, much better than I thought you would be.” He reached out to shake her hand. Though she didn’t want to, she returned it.

“And um…" He grinned. "If you ever want to go out sometime, I can give you my number.”

“Huh?” She wasn’t sure if she heard him right. Then she felt the room get colder and a bunchy of cold icy glares directed at her. Kagami turned to see a ton of angry girls that looked as though they wanted to murder her.

She glared at him. “You’re seriously asking me out on a date right after you beat me that badly in a one on one! And now you’ve just made me the most hated girl at my school!”

He held his hands in front of him. “I’m so sorry! You are kind of cute though and I've never had a girl challenge me to a one on one usually they just want my autogr-”

“Hey now she’s breaking his heart!”

"What! He just said she was cute!"

“Kagami why are you so cruel!”  


She frowned at him. "Way to make it worse."

“I really am sorry." He seemed defeated but then he perked up. "And you know, Kaijo has a really good girl’s team too, you should transfer, they would love to have you on the team-“

She was about to tell him no but Kuroko spoke first.

“Kise don’t take away my new light.” Kuroko said coldly. It was more emotion than Kagami had ever heard him use, and his tone was a little chilling.

“Huh?” He looked Kagami up and down. “Her?" He blinked. He was about to say something further but he stopped himself.

"And I actually came here because I want you to come play basketball at Kaijo with me.”

“Um...”

“Come on, you’re wasting your talent at this place, you should play for a strong school. And Kagami you should too. The girls team will likely place first or second in their Winter cup this year.”

“I’m sorry Kise but I have to refuse.”

“What why?" He pouted. "You can’t seriously want to play for this new school? And Kagami might take me up on my offer anyway.”

“No.” She said. “If I’m on the girl’s team how am I supposed to beat you and the rest of the generation of miracles?”

Kise smirked. “You want to beat the generation of miracles.”

“I promised I’d help her.” Kuroko chimed in.

Kise tilted his head. “Kurokocchi you have to be joking.”

“Kise you know I can’t make jokes.”

He sighed giving up. “Well okay… but my offer is always open if you ever change your mind. I mean you may want to after Kaijo destroys Seirin at our game next week.”

“That won’t happen.” Kagami said. “Because I’m going to win next time.”

Kise gave a smile, the kind that seemed to say “that’s cute”. “We’ll see about that.”

He said his goodbye to Kuroko, talked to a few more of his fans and then left.

“The nerve of him!” Riko spat. “He just comes here and tries to take away two of our players.”

“That’s the guy we’re playing against… Kagami didn’t stand a chance against him.” Furihata said.

Kagami gave him a cold look and Furihata cowered. 

She eyed Kuroko. “He asked you join their team, I mean the boys team, but not me.”

Kuroko looked up at her concerned. “Would you have accepted?”

“No of course not.” Kagami laughed. “I told you I want to beat the generation of miracles and I couldn’t do that if I was on his team.”

Kuroko gave her a small smile.

"Alright we wasted enough time! Back to practice everyone!" Riko ordered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to do the next chapter, because it's fem!Kagami's first game and I want to write Kaijo's reaction to her. But I also don't want everyone to have to read through a game that we've already seen play out. And I do want to write another version of what Kise said to Kagami in canon where he basically says he's not good enough to go against the generation of miracles.
> 
> I have Kuroko and femKagami becoming friends earlier because I have too many Teiko arc feels. where Kuroko basically went through hell a for a few months before High School starts. And I think I have enough reasons for why female Kagami would accept him sooner.


	3. Seirin vs Kaijo practice game

Kise finished changing into his gym clothes. Practice was starting soon, which would be boring for the most part. None of his teammates could keep up with him on the court. The only thing that kept him a little excited was knowing that he would play Kuroko’s team at the end of the week.

The door burst open and Kasamatsu charged in red faced.

“Kise! You went to Seirin yesterday without mine or the coach’s permission!”

He cowered a little. His captain could be terrifying when he was angry. “I just wanted to visit Kurokocchi… I thought I could get him to transfer to this school…”

Kasamatsu frowned and folded his arms. Kise had talked enough about Kuroko that he would know who he was. “And…?”

“He turned me down.” Kise laughed and felt like crying. He didn’t get it, Kuroko was his good friend from middle school, why wouldn’t he want to keep playing basketball with him? Kuroko would need a strong player for his style to be truly effective… and with Aomine tossing him aside Kise felt that he was the perfect replacement.

That and if he wanted to stand a chance against his friends he might need Kuroko’s skills. He was after all the weakest of the generation of miracles. But Kuroko had chosen that girl and he didn’t get it. She as good and cute, but what was the point if they couldn’t win games?

Kasamatsu groaned. “Maybe now your obsession with that guy will end. Anyway, what was your impression of Seirin?”

Kise shrugged. “They don’t have that many players… and they have a girl on their team.”

“A girl!” Nearly all the team exclaimed at once.

“You mean their coach? Or did they get a manager?” A second year tried to clarify.

“No she’s a basketball player, Seirin doesn’t have a girls team so she had to join the boys team.”

His team looked at him wide eyed.

“So… is she any good?” Kasamatsu finally asked for everyone.

“Well we played a one on one and I won pretty easily… but she could kind of keep up with me… better than some of you guys can.”

He had several angry eyes on him now and he wished that he hadn’t added that last part.

“How did a girl keep up with you!” A third year yelled looking flustered.

“Um…” he didn’t really get it either. “She’s pretty athletic and oh she’s a little taller than me and-“

“Taller than you!” came from several people.

“Is she some kind of monster!”

“That’s means she’s taller than all of us.” Kasamatsu sighed.

 “She’s actually kind of cute.” Kise said remembering her eyes, her sweet feminine face under her feistiness. Usually when girls met him, they were confessing their love, asking him out on dates, asking for his autograph… this girl ran right up and challenged him to basketball, and then after she lost, declared that she would win next time. It reminded him a little of the games he and Aomine would play together. Although he was the one declaring that he would win next time.

“I asked her out on a date.” Kise grinned. “But she turned me down… I’ve never been turned by a girl!” Anytime he had asked a girl out she was quick to say yes, hell most begged him for a date. But this girl had been angry that he had even asked… okay so it was after losing the one on one but he hadn’t realized that she seriously thought she could win. And then Kuroko turned him down later. It had been a rough day.

Kasamatsu slapped him in the back of the head. “Why are you trying to sleep with the enemy!”

“Enemy? Isn’t that going too far captain?” A second year commented.

“No it’s not like that…” He held up his hands. “I did tell her that she should transfer to Kaijo and join our girls’ team, she would be their best player.”

A third year face palmed. “Kise… you just blew any chance of ever fucking this girl.”

“Huh?”

“You told her to join a girls team… don’t you think that’s a pretty big insult?”

He started to panic. “No I didn’t mean it that way! I just thought she should play for a good school! But she’s not transferring… she chose Kuroko to be her new light instead of me.”

“Kise…” The same third year said. “She’s your friend’s new light? Do you think you might have asked out his girlfriend?”

“What!” He hadn’t thought of that. Kagami didn’t seem like Kuroko’s type, but then again, he didn’t know Kuroko’s type. But if they were dating, Momoi would not be happy at all.

“Alright that’s enough,” Kasamatsu groaned. “Kise there’s hundreds of girls that are always sending you love letters or asking you out, I’m not going to feel bad because one turned you down!”

“I know but she was the first-“

“Well get over it! We’re playing a game against her and no one needs you acting like a love sick moron on the court!” He paused. “Although we don’t need to worry too much, she may be good but Seirin is a new team. And Kiyoshi still hasn’t recovered from his injury, so they should be no problem for us.”

* * *

 

Seirin practiced hard all week for their practice game against Kaijo. Kagami had been obsessed with practicing every move Kise copied and then trying to come up with things he couldn’t copy. But anything that came to mind was always vulgar and not something she’d do during a game.

It was frustrating and she’d take it out by playing much more aggressively and once nearly knocked down Izuki. Riko scolded her and told her to cool her head until she could work with the team.

The night before the game she tossed and turned in bed, both excited and nervous for the game. Excited because she would get to play against a strong opponent, and nervous that she might have been all talk.

 She wasn’t sure how much actual sleep she got that night. But sometime on the long ride to Kaijo, she had fallen asleep.

“Um… Kagami… You’re heavy.” Kuroko’s voice woke he rup.

“Huh?” She opened her eyes and realized that she was leaning on Kuroko. “Oh sorry Kuroko!” She sat up straight.

“Kuroko! You shouldn’t ever say that to a girl!” Hyuga grabbed the top of his head.

“Um.. sorr-“

“No, it’s fine, I don’t care.” Kagami yawned. “I’m tall and I’m probably one of the heaviest here. Any other girl would have smacked you though Kuroko.”

The bus came to a stop and the door opened. Kagami’s energy felt like it had come back and she was now wide awake. “Alright, time to go beat Kise.”

 “But he destroyed you in a one on one a week ago.” Kuroko said deadpanned.

She cringed. “Kuroko do you have to be so blunt?”

Kaijo was a much larger school than Seirin. Even though it was after school, many students were still hanging around ad the campus. Many had their eyes on Seirin, whispering as they passed by. 

“Hey!” A voice called out. Kise waved his hand running. He stopped once he reached them, caught his breath and then spoke. “This place is kind of huge so I came to show you guys the gym.”

“Um… thank you?” Riko said and then looked at Hyuga who only frowned.

Kise walked between her and Kuroko, not really leading the way. But he would tell those in the front when they needed to turn.

Kurokocchi… ever since you turned me down I’ve been crying myself to sleep every night!” He finally spoke and then started to fake cry.

Kagami groaned. “Aren’t you being a little over dramatic?” She mumbled. Maybe he was in love with Kuroko… but if that were the case, why did he ask her out?

“Kise-kun would you stop it?”

He led them through the campus to a gym. Kaijo’s basketball club had far more members than Seirin and most were warming up for the game.  

As they walked in, all eyes turned to them.

“That’s the girl!” one whispered.

“She really is tall!”

“And she’s cute!”

“Uh…” Kagami laughed quietly and she could feel her face getting red and she couldn’t help but notice that there was netting blocking half the court.

Riko went to go meet the coach and Kise led them to the locker rooms. He kept near Kuroko and it started to annoy Kagami. Then he turned to face her.

“Just so you know… I’m not going to go easy on you. You did challenge us.” He smiled at her.

She almost looked away. The guy just had to be good looking, but of course, he wouldn’t be a model if he weren’t. Somehow she managed to keep herself from blushing, there was no way she’d let him see that. “You’d be insulting me if you went easy on us.”

He stopped outside the locker rooms.

“Oh, Kagami… the girl’s are down there if you need it.” He pointed.

She shrugged. “Thanks, but I don’t need to change right now.” He uniform was already on under her jacket and pants.

“Alright I’ll see you on the court.”

The locker room was huge. If she had to, she probably could have found a spot to change with out the boys noticing.

Riko entered. “Alright everyone.” She said getting their attention. “This is our first practice game and it’s against Kaijo, a very strong school. So… Don’t lose!” She winked. “Now get out there and warm up!”

“What kind of a pep talk was that!”

* * *

 

Entering back into the gym, the netting still wasn’t removed and Kaijo’s team members were practicing on the other side.

“We’re only playing on half the court.” Kaijo’s coach said.

“Half the court!” Riko shrieked. “But why!”

“This game is only an easy warm up for my regulars. The others will be using the rest of the court to practice.”

Kagami rolled her eyes and then eyed the other half of the court. No one was practicing, they were all standing around watching Seirin.

Riko’s face got red and she seemed ready to put up a fight with the coach. But she remained quiet.

“Kise why do you have your uniform on?”

“Huh we have a game…”

“You’re not playing, if I put you in this won’t even be a game!”

“Uh…” He looked at both her and Kuroko.

The game hadn’t even started, and she already didn’t like Kaijo’s coach. First only half the court, then calling Seirin weak, and now he wasn’t even putting Kise in the game. Kuroko seemed to have no emotion on his face as usual, but surely, he wanted to play against his friend?

_Fine. I’ll make you put him in._

* * *

 

She stood across from one of Kaijo’s team mates ready for the tip off. The ref tossed it in the air and blew the whistle. She jumped, though she was taller and could jump higher, Kaijo was faster. He hit the basketball to his team.

“Damn it!” She cursed.

“It’s okay Kagami, we’ll get it back!” Izuki said running to defense.

The guy on Kaijo barely had the ball when Kuroko came up from behind and hit it out of his hand. Kagami blinked when she suddenly found herself holding the ball.

“See isn’t Kurokocchi amazing!”

“Thanks Kuroko!” She smiled and then ran the ball to their basket. She jumped and dunked it hard scoring the first point. She landed and cheered only to realize that she was holding the basket.

“Uh…” She said not believing she had broken it. It had to have been old for it to break that easy. The rest of her team also looked at her with their mouths open as well as Kaijo’s team.

“She can dunk!” One of the boys shouted.

“And she’s so strong!”

Kise was sitting on the bench cracking up. After giving him a very angry glare, Kaijo’s coached stood up and ordered for the netting to be taken down.

“Alright, it looks like we’re going to play the full court.”

* * *

 

The game started back up, Kaijo’s ball. It was easily stolen again by Kuroko and he passed to Kagami.

She ran to the basket, one of the smaller Kaijo team members jumped out of her way, afraid of being run down, and she dunked the ball again, and this time did not break the net.

There was loud cheering from girls up in the stands. Kagami looked up and saw a group wearing gym clothes. She then had to wonder if they knew she was on the other team.

The first quarter was going smooth. Kuroko would steal the ball and she’d score the points. She was able to out maneuver Kaijo and none could jump high enough to block her points. It felt good to be able to play on their level.

“Get it together!” Kaijo’s coach yelled. “You’re letting a girl score those points against you! And watch for that one that keeps stealing the ball!”

“That’s Kurokocchi!”

“Stop cheering for him!”

They were five points ahead of Kaijo. Two came to guard her when Seirin was on offense. But that left another Seirin player open. Izuki passed to Mitobe who scored with a hook shot.

“Alright Kise you’re in! Shut her down!” Kaijo’s coach was red faced.

Kagami smiled. Finally she was going to get a real challenge.

Kise walked onto the court and over to her.

“You know, I’ve never seen my coach make a face like that when you broke the basket.” He laughed. “And you did really good against Kaijo.” He paused and then his demeanor became serious. “But I’m sorry, your team is going to lose now.” He smirked at her.

Kagami scoffed. “We’ll see.”

Kaijo threw the ball into play and Kise caught it and charged down the court. Kagami ran after him but he was too fast. He jumped and dunked the ball similar to how she did and winked once he landed.

“I have to let you know, that I always return the favor when it comes to basketball.

Kagami just stood still staring back at him. This could be bad.

“Idiot why didn’t you break the net like she did!” The captain, Kagami thought his name was Kasamatsu, yelled. “And don’t hit on her!”

Kuroko walked up next to her. She looked at him wanting some assurance, but as usual he had no readable expression on his face.

“Kuroko, get the ball back to me and I’ll score again.” He was going to return the favor to her? Well she’d just score against Kaijo again.

* * *

 

Riko sighed watching the game. Once Kise had been put in, for a while it had turned into a dunking match between him and Kagami. But now he was playing seriously and Kagami could barely keep up. So she was now resorting to keeping him away from the ball, leaving the scoring up to Hyuga and Mitobe. But even then, He could still catch the ball and maneuver away from her.

Kise also kept imitating her which only led her to getting angry and her play style becoming more and more aggressive. But that did nothing against Kise.

It was satisfying at first to watch her play better than all the boys. But now with Kise in the game it was looking like Seirin may lose. And he’d look at Kagami so smugly every time he scored.

 _Damn it Bakagami, why did you have to challenge him like that!_ It was now going to be horribly embarrassing if they lost.

The game was almost become painful to watch. She glanced around the gym. Second and third Kaijo players stood off to the sidelines watching.

“She really can’t keep up with Kise.”

“I guess she’s nothing special.”

Riko felt anger boiling up inside her.

 _Before Kise got out there she was playing better than everyone!_ She wanted to yell that at the boys but she suppressed the urge, not wanting to make a scene.

“Coach are you okay?” Koganei asked.

“Fine!” She snapped not meaning to.

Hyuga called a time out. The team walked back to the sidelines.

“He wanted it.” He pointed to Kuroko.

“Kuroko?” Riko hadn’t expected him to call one. In fact, she had forgotten he was even in the game.

“Kagami needs to sit out and calm down.” Kuroko said.

Kagami eyed him. “What? Why? I’m doing just fine out there!”

Kuroko shook his head. “You’re getting angry and that’s making him stronger. If you keep playing that way, soon he’ll be way too strong.”

“I agree.” Riko said. And it made sense to her. Kise was a copy cat, Kagami was marking him and he’d only imitate whatever she was doing, including her attitude.

“Fine.” She flopped down on the bench.

Riko handed her a water bottle. Sweat was pouring down her face and her eyes were cold and focused. It was almost terrifying to look at her.

“Kagami.” Kuroko stood in front of her.

She looked up at him, her eyes cold.

“We’re playing Kaijo, but you’re only trying to beat Kise.”

She sighed. “Hmmm.”

“I have an idea for how we can win.”

The time out ended.

* * *

 

She walked back onto the court, trying to stay calm. But the fact that she could barely keep up with Kise just pissed her off and now Seirin was losing by nearly fifteen points.

However, she wasn’t hating it. It had been a long time since she had played that hard against another team. She was much bigger and stronger than the girls she had played in middle school and she’d have to hold back.

But she still wanted to beat Kise there had to be someone he couldn’t copy. Then she eyed Kuroko.

“You’re putting in way too much effort.” Kise walked up behind her.

“Huh?” She looked at him.

“I’ll admit, you’re good and not just for a girl but as a basketball player, in fact, you’re the only one from your team that could have stood against my other teammates, but you’re not going to win with me playing. The point difference is just too great.” He paused, and his eyes became cold. “You should have realized by now that the skill level between you and me is just too great, it will be years before you could ever reach the level of the generation of miracles.”

She rolled her eyes and then began to laugh. “So you want me to just give up?” She caught her breath. “You know this is one of the more fun games I’ve ever played.” She paused and located Kuroko. “Besides I know your weakness.”

“You think I have a weakness?” He smirked.

She pulled Kuroko over to them. “You can’t copy Kuroko.”

He laughed. “Yeah, your right, but that’s not going to change anything.”

* * *

 

Riko sat frowning as she watched Kagami and Kise and wished she could hear what they were talking about. Kaijo was about to throw in the ball and those two were chatting about something. She was about to yell at Kagami to knock it off when she pulled Kuroko over.

Kaijo threw in the ball to Kise. He easily caught it. But Kagami didn’t go to block him, instead stayed in front of him.

 _Kuroko is marking Kise? ….. Of course!_ It should have been obvious to her. Kise couldn’t copy his style.

Kise ran by Kuroko but Kuroko reached back and knocked the ball away, right to Kagami. She grabbed it and ran for their end of the court. Kise took a second to realize what had happened and then ran after her. Just before he caught up she passed back to Kuroko and kise paused to watch where the ball went giving Kagami enough time to get under the basket. Kuroko passed back to her and she jumped up and dunked.

Riko and the rest of the benched players let out a loud cheer. Maybe the game wasn’t a loss yet.

Seirin started to come back with both Kagami and Kuroko working together. Kise was having trouble keeping up. They even managed to block a shot by him with Kagami guarding high and Kuroko guarding low.

Frustrated Kise turned around quickly to chase after the ball, but his hand swung back and hit Kuroko in the forehead. He fell to the ground holding his head.

“Kuroko!” Kagami got down next to him, put her hand on the side of his face and checked over his wound.

“Kurokocchi I’m sorry!”

“Wow! She’s also so gentle!” A Kaijo second stringer said.

“Seirin is so lucky!”

Riko rolled her eyes. _I’d hate to see how you guys treat your injured teammates._ But knowing Kagami’s usual demeanor, she was being quite tender.

Kagami helped him stand up and wrapped her arm around her shoulder. She was so much taller than she had to hunch down. But she led him to the bench. There was blood dripping from his forehead.

Riko grabbed her first aid kit and tended to him.

“Koganei you’re in.” She said. Now she was worried for the team. With out Kuroko she wasn’t sure that they could continue the comeback.

“Um...” Kuroko said.

“Kuroko, just lay down, I don’t think you can play the rest of this game.” Riko continued to focus on the team.

“I need to sit out anyway, as the game goes on, my misdirection gets weaker.”

“What?” She turned to face him.

“The other team gets used to it, so I’ll need to stay out for a quarter anyway. It’s the weakness of misdirection.”

“Why did you wait till now to tell me this!” She would have shook him if he hadn’t been injured.

“Because Kise also has a weakness…”

* * *

 

The game continued and Seirin held their own. Hyuga shot threes, Mitobe scored with his hook shot, Izuki was effective as a point guard and Koganei… made about half his shots. But Kaijo remained a head. There was no way Kagami could stop Kise on her own and when Mitobe helped her to guard him, that left someone else on Kaijo open.

At the end of the third quarter, Kuroko sat up. “I can go back in.” He said.

Riko shook her head. “Kuroko, you’re injured, I can’t let you play.” The last thing she needed was for the team to get in trouble from the school board for putting in an injured player.

“No… I’m fine, they’ll need me to win and I promised Kagami that I’d help her defeat the generation of miracles.”

There was a look in his eyes that she had never seen before. Determination maybe? And he did seem much stronger.

Between quarters, Riko told the team the plan Kuroko had come up with. It would require cooperation from both Kagami and Kuroko as well as the rest of the team.

Fourth quarter started and she watched, hoping this plan would work. Seirin started to come back again with Kuroko back in play.

“Come on your all a mess out there!” Kaijo’s coach was red faced and he yelled. “You guys should be able to handle a girl. And watch out for that phantom player!”

Riko grinned, satisfied to know that the coach who thought the game would only be a warm up and was only going to let t hem play half the court was getting upset at his team.

“I’m not going to lose!” Kise yelled and ran after the ball. He grabbed it, ran down the court almost knocking over one of his own teammates and scored putting Kaijo ahead two points.

Riko bit her lip. There was only fifteen seconds left on the clock and she wasn’t sure if her team had enough stamina to go into overtime. The only experienced player left on the bench was Tsuchida and if she had put any of the other first years in, they would surely lose.

She watched gripping her skirt. The rest of the bench was just as anxious. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Furihata shaking.

Koganei got the ball and shot it.

 _Please make it!_ She wanted to close her eyes. The ball went in tying the score. But Kaijo had more than enough time to score another basket.

Kise got the ball and started back down the court. Now she really didn’t want to watch. But, just as he ran by Kuroko, Kuroko reached back and knocked the ball out of his hand.

* * *

 

Kagami ran towards their basket feeling an adrenaline rush. Their plan had worked. Now she just had to score two more points and they’d win.

Izuki caught Kuroko’s pass.

Kise had already caught up to her and was ready to guard. “You’re not going to score!” He said his eyes blazing.  

Izuki passed to Kuroko and Kuroko got ready to shoot the ball.

Kise turned and looked at him. “Huh… Kurokocchi can’t shoot.” He stared, giving Kagami enough time to move away from him.

 _Good he’s falling for it._  

She jumped up just as the ball left Kuroko’s hands.

“No Kise it’s a pass!”

Kise jumped to try to block the ball. She reached up high, if he blocked it would be all over. But then she realized that he was falling while she was still getting higher. The ball touched her hands  and she dunked it right before the buzzer.

For a brief moment, time seemed to stand still and noise was blocked.

_We won…_

Her team cheered loudly. When she landed she pumped her fist up into the air and cheered feeling as though she really did belong on the team.

 She then found Kuroko who was smiling at her.

“Kuroko!” Kagami had so much excitement that she could have thrown her arms around him. But she held out her hand to give him a fist bump. He looked at it apprehensively before returning it.

“Kagami! Kuroko!” Hyuga ran over and put his arms around both of them.

“That was amazing!” Koganei added.

Mitobe smiled and looked like he could almost burst into tears and Izuki sounded like he was trying to make some pun.

Riko ran onto the court. “Kagami, Kuroko! You’re both amazing!” She threw her arms around them both. “Maybe are team will be alright this year!”

While celebrating, she looked over at Kise who had tears streaming down his face.

“He’s crying?” She looked at Kuroko. She had never made a guy cry over such an insignificant game. But then again, her team was celebrating as if they had one a championship.

“I think this is the first game he’s ever lost.” Kuroko said.  


“Really?” But then she realized that Teiko must never have lost a game if they had five-er-six prodigies.

“Stop crying you baby!” Kasamatsu hit Kise on the back of the head. “This was only a practice game! And Seirin is just stronger than we thought!”

They lined up. Kise’s eyes were still red and she almost felt bad for him. But he held out his hand and sighed.

“Alright you won.” He wouldn’t make eye contact with her as shook her hand.

“Um… it was a really good game.” She wasn’t sure what to say.

He only nodded.

Kasamatsu shook her hand next. “This loss really hurts. But Kagami, I’m sorry if any of the guys said anything stupid about you, you really are good basketball player.”

She smiled.

“We’re going to have a revenge match though during the inter high. So make sure you don’t lose before you play us.” He grinned at her.

“We’ll see you there.”

* * *

 

Kagami couldn’t stop smiling as they walked back to the bus. She even ignored the other students that were whispering as they passed by. The rest of the team seemed to feel the same way. Riko was practically skipping as she led them to the bus.

 “Kagami!” A girl called out her name. She ran with four other girls following, and Kagami thought they might have been the girls up in the stands.

She stopped to let them catch up. The girls gathered around here looking at her starry eyed.

“Kagami you were amazing!”

“Yeah I’ve never been so excited to watch a game!”

 “Um thanks… and you guys are?” And surely realized that their school was the one that lost?

“Oh sorry… we’re Kaijo’s girl’s basketball team.” The girl smiled shyly at her.

“Oh,” Kagami nearly blushed. “I’m glad you guys enjoyed the game… I just hope you’re not mad that we beat your school.”

The girl shook her head. “No not at all, we wanted you to win!” She folded her arms and frowned. “Maybe the boys will finally stop saying that girls basketball is worthless and let us use the gym more.”

“Kagami come on, or you’re going to get left behind.” Izuki called out to her.

“I’ll be right there!”

“Go right ahead.” The girls said. “We’re going to watch you at the inter high! So good luck!”

Kagami smiled said her good byes and started to run after her team.

“Did you hear, Kise Ryouta got beat by a girl!”

“So much for recruiting one of the generation of miracles.”

She stopped and glared at them, not wanting not wanting to let that bullshit fly.

“No, Kaijo lost to Seirin.” She said coldly.

“What it’s that girl!”

“She’s so tall!”

Kagami left it at that and continued her way to the bus.

* * *

 

He splashed water all over his face trying to take his mind off the game. But it was no use, the last play just kept playing over and over. And worse, other students at his school were already talking about the game and how he had lost to a girl. He wasn’t upset that he had lost to a girl… just that everyone else knew he lost to her. He doubted he could convince them that Kagami was just very good and that she had Kuroko helping her. But it was doubtful that anyone watching had even noticed Kuroko.

It was bringing back memories of Haizaki and that stupid girl that had gone on a date with him after Kise had lost that one on one, and her reaction. He didn’t even like that clingy girl but it still hurt.

“Gemini was supposed to have a bad day today, but I never thought you would lose.”

Kise looked up. “Midormacchi?” His friend stood taller and held a stuffed frog. He hadn’t seen him since middle school and normally he’d be happy to see one of his old friends, but not this time. You watched that game?”

He nodded. “That dunking in the beginning was ridiculous, this is why you haven’t caught up to the rest of us.” He adjusted his glasses. “It’s no surprise you lost, you weren’t taking the game seriously.”

He cringed at his friend’s bluntness. But that was Midorima for you.

“What did you think of Kagami?” He finally asked surprised that he hadn’t brought her up.

“She’s an anomaly, but I’ll admit that she is skilled.” He paused and adjusted his glasses again. “She is no where near the level of the generation of miracles and even with Kuroko she shouldn’t have outplayed you.”

He groaned. Midorima just had to rub it in. “Are you going to go see Kurokocchi?”

He shook his head and turned to walk away. “I have no need to. His blood type is A and mine is B, we’ve never gotten along.”

  _Midorimacchi, there’s not many people that you do get along with._

* * *

 

She held her stomach as they left the restaurant feeling like she could burst. Riko had taken them out for a victory dinner and decided to be cheap by having them do a restaurant's chef challenge. Finish a large meal and get it for free.

 Kagami had no problem finishing hers and in fact, it wasn’t enough o fill her up and she couldn’t understand why the others couldn’t finish. Kuroko had only taken a few bites before he was full. So she hand grabbed his plate and finished it. And then the rest of the team was begging her to finish theirs.

“Kagami, you can really eat a lot for a girl.” Koganei said.

She nodded. “I’m tall and I’m an athlete… but that was way too much.” She held her stomach.

Kagami looked around for Kuroko as they were leaving, but couldn’t find him. She squinted and looked some more, figuring he was just blending in among the others like always and would surprise her by having been next to her the entire time.

“Kuroko where are you?” She finally asked giving up on finding him.

There was no answer.

“Where’s Kuroko?” She asked among the team feeling annoyed.

Everyone looked around.

“He’s not here.” Furihata said.

“Are you sure he’s not in the back?” Hyuga asked.

“No there’s no one else back here.” Fukuda said.

“Do you think he left?” Izuki asked.

“He’s got to be around here somewhere, we’re just not seeing him.”

Riko groaned. “I’m going to put him in a Boston crab hold when we find him.”

“Does anyone have his cell phone number?”

No one did. Kagami had no idea why she had never bothered to get his. That would have to change after today. But they would have to find him first.

The team split up to find Kuroko. Kagami wondered down the street near the basketball courts. Several people were playing street ball, just like she had often seen in America. She stood and watched for a little and then spotted Kuroko and… Kise on the other side of the court.

She groaned and marched over.

“I’m just saying, she’s going to improve very fast, do you really think she’ll stay the same person?”

She frowned, wondering what the hell that was all about. And why was this guy so persistent when it came to Kuroko? Did he just want Kuroko as his shadow that bad?

 She walked over and put her arm around Kuroko and looked Kise in the eye.  Kuroko turned his head up to her, seeming a little surprised that she was there.

“Kuroko what were you doing wandering off? The team is looking for you.”

“Uh…” Kise suddenly looked uncomfortable. “We’re you listening to us?”

“Only the very end.” She tilted her head. “Is there something you didn’t want me to hear?” She glared, intending to intimidate him.

 _“Oh look at this trash.”_ Someone off in the distance said.

She groaned but ignored it.

He took a step back. “Um… it’s not that… it’s just… I was just giving my offer to Kuroko one last time. I just think he should play for a strong school.”

 “But  Kaijo lost to Seirin.” She laughed and then wondered if she was going to far. This guy did cry after he lost a game.

Kise looked away from her and scoffed but seemed to get over it. “Yeah but we’ll play you again in a real game in the inter high and we’ll win that time.” He paused. “And you’ll have to play against two other generation of miracles… you’ll have to play against them first… and like I said, the other four are on a completely different level than me, you’re going to have to really improve if you want to win.”

_“Hey you have five guys we only have three!”_

_“We never said it would be three on three!”_

“You said we couldn’t beat you and we did.” Though she didn’t doubt that the other four were much better. If this guy who was so confident that he would win said so, then it was probably true.

Kise started to grin.

She glared at him. “What’s with that smile?” Kagami figured he thought it was ridiculous that she thought that she could beat them. But she’d show him. She had Kuroko who knew the other four just as well as him. Together they could do it.

He looked down and smiled wider. “Sorry I’ve never had a girl talk to me like this before… usually they just want my autograph, or they’ll ask me on a date.”

Then Kise directed a smile that make her take a step back.

Kagami looked away getting angry. Just why did he have to do that now? She wasn’t sure if he was hitting on her again or just simply not taking her seriously.

 _“Um… this game isn’t fair.”_ The voice was all too familiar.

She went cold and turned towards the basketball courts. Kuroko was standing in front of the bullies holding their basketball.

“Kuroko!”

“Kurokocchi!”

 _“Yeah and what are you going to do about it!”_ The guy got up closer into Kuroko’s face.

Kagami rolled up her sleeves and then eyed Kise. “Alright let’s go take care of this.”

“Um… you’re not going to go fight them are you?” Kise asked nervously.

“We’re going to have to do something or Kuroko is going to get beat up.” She started to walk, getting impatient. “Now come on.”

“Um Kagamicchi, there’s five of them.”

“Yeah so?”

He sighed. “Kuroko isn’t gong to be much help and… I have a photoshoot tomorrow… I really can’t get my face bruised.”

“Really?” She groaned never having expected a guy to not want to back her up in a fight. But another idea came to her.

“Fine, then we’ll give them the five on three game.” She started to run toward the court.

“Why didn’t you suggest that first!” He ran after her.

She walked through the gate and marched over to the bullies. Luckily no one had thrown a punch at Kuroko but one guy looked like he was getting close to.

“Hey!” Kagami called out to them as she approached.

The bullies looked up at her and their eyes widened.

“She’s so tall!”

But their leader grinned.

“Well hello.” He smiled and walked over puffing out his chest. “You need some help sweetie?”

She ignored him and was more than relieved when Kise walked up next to her and hadn’t bailed on them.

“Why don’t you play us instead.” Kise suggested. “Three on five is fine.”

The leader laughed. “Seriously? Against a girl and that shorty?” He walked up to Kagami and looked up at her. “I’ve never met a girl as tall as you. So why don’t we go out on a date instead, I can satisfy you way more than that pretty boy.”

Kagami closed her eyes to keep herself from getting angry. “Yeah I doubt that. Just play us.” She said in a low voice. He had assumed that she and Kise were a couple and she wasn’t about to let him know that she was single. “To five.”

“Alright but you guys are going to be sorry you challenged us.”

The game didn’t last long at all. They scored five points in less than five minutes. The other team never even scored a point. Kuroko would steal the ball and give it to either her Kise, which made the game very easy. Kagami was especially surprised when Kise passed the ball to her once.

The bullies stared at them in astonishment as they walked away.

“Kuroko!” She yelled once they were off the court. “What the hell were you doing! What if I wasn’t here and that turned into a fight!”

Kuroko looked at her completely unconcerned. “I didn’t think about that when I went over, but if that did happen, I would have gotten beat up.” He flexed his arm. “Look at these guns.”

She frowned at him moreso at the fact that he showed next to no emotion.

“You don’t have any! Seriously, think about the consequences before you do something like that!” She put her hand on her forehead.

“Kurokocchi, you’re amazing sometimes.”

“Don’t encourage him!”

Kise smiled. “Well I should be going, don’t forget about our revenge match Kagamicchi.”

“Kagamicchi?” She raised her eye brow at him and thought she remembered him calling her that before.

“I add cchi to the names of people that I respect.” He said walking away and waving.

“We’ll I’m flattered.” Kagami folded her arms. Then waited till he would out of earshot. “Your friend is obnoxious.”

“Yes he is.”

“Are they all going to be like that?”

“Yes… in their own way.”

“Wonderful.” She breathed. “Well we should find the others, Riko is not going to be happy.”

As if on queue, Riko called out to them.

“Kuroko! Kagami!” She ran to them with the team behind her and stopped right in front of Kuroko.

“Kuroko where have you been! Why did you walk off like that!”

“Kise-kun wanted to talk to me.”

“You walked off with him!” She yelled and put him in the Boston crab hold as promised. “Tell us next time you’re going to do something like that!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had most of the basketball game take place from Riko's POV. I tried to write from Kagami's but... it was just dragging and it wasn't working like I wanted because I was having trouble writing an actual basketball ball game.
> 
> Well she's going to meet Midorima next.


	4. Midorima

Midorima sat, watching the Seirin verse Shinkyo game. He wasn’t sure how Seirin would handle the  foreign exchange student but Kagami seemed to be putting pressure defense on him and it was very effective. Kuroko of course was doing his own thing with his passes. Still it wasn’t quite the same passes he gave to his Teiko teammates. There was something lacking.

“You’re really interested in your former teammate.” Takao commented.

“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m just curious about the foreign exchange student.” Midorima said keeping his voice calm. Truth was, he did want to watch Kuroko play, to see if his style truly could play well at the high school level and if that no name team could utilize his abilities properly. But so far, he decided, Kuroko would have been better at a different school, one that would have a chance at making it to the Winter Cup finals.

Kise had suggested that Kuroko transfer to Kaijo, and Midorima could not figure out why he would turn him down.

“Are you sure?” Takao raised his eye brows.

He didn’t respond. Takao would just keep badgering him if he did.

“What do you think of Kagami?” Takao then asked.

Midorima watched her. Surprisingly she was very good and she was the only one on that team that could play well with Kuroko’s style. But no where near the level of Aomine. And she the same move over and over again. Dunking. It was impressive that she could, but it was far too predictable.

“She’s good, that was proven when Kaijo lost to Seirin. And she carries her team. But we have nothing to worry about, she is nowhere near my level.”

Takao rolled his eyes. “That’s not what I mean.”

Midorima eyed him.

“She’s a rare beauty.” Takao said. “I’ve never seen a girl as tall as her.” Then he grinned. “She might not have much on the top but she does have a nice ass.”

“Takao don’t be so vulgar!” Midorima shouted. But now that he mentioned it, he found himself staring as she managed to prevent Papa from scoring another shot. Groaning, Midorima closed his eyes and tried to clear his thoughts.

“Do you think she changes in the locker room with her team?” Takao smiled coyly and leaned back in his seat. “Imagine if she went to Shutoko. The end of practice would be so much more fun…”

“I don’t think the coach would let a girl on the team…” But as he was saying it, he was imagining her in their locker room. He felt his face get hot.

Takao laughed louder. “I knew it Shin-chan! You are a pervert!”

“No I-“

“Come on, you’re a teenager, have some fun.”

“No I refuse!” He covered his face with his hands.

He focused back on the game. Kuroko passed to her and she dunked the ball. Then she smiled and gave him a high five. And he had to look away again.

* * *

 

Her next few weeks were full of practice, games, and of course keeping up with school. They had won every game they played, sometimes completely crushing their opponents, though the schools they played against weren’t top schools like Kaijo had been.

As they got closer to the inter high final preliminaries, Riko called for extra practices. The games were only getting tougher and she and the upper classmen seemed especially nervous about playing against the three kings of their district.

 “Kagami.” Kuroko approached her at the beginning of one of their practices.

“Huh?” She had been shooting three pointers.

“I want to try out a pass with you.”

“Um okay.” It seemed like an odd request.

“I need you to go to the other side of the court.”

Unsure of what he had planned, she walked to the other end stopping at the free throw line.  Kuroko walked to the opposite end and spoke to Izuki.

Izuki took the ball and passed to Kuroko. Kuroko hit the ball hard. It flew across the court. Kagami barely had time to put her hands up to catch it.

She blinked once the ball was in her hands. It stung but she was too shocked at what had happened to really notice.

“Kuroko what was that!” Hyuga yelled running over to him.

“That was amazing!” Riko cheered. “That will defiantly be useful in a game, but why are you just now showing us!”

Kagami looked at the ball and then tossed it back to Kuroko smiling.

“Hey let’s try that again, this time I want to be ready for it.” If Kuroko could just pass to her from the other side of the court, she could easily score points for the team. She could run to their basket and all he would have to do is steal from the other team. Or someone else steal and pass it to Kuroko.

With the help of Izuki, Kuroko did the same pass. She caught it, and then turned around and dribbled to the basket and scored.

Then she ran over to Kuroko, smiled and gave him a fist bump. Kuroko gave her a small smile and returned. She smiled wider. It was one of the few times he showed any emotion.

“Alright,” Riko said. “We’re having a practice game, first years against second years.”

* * *

 

The first years won the game. Kuroko’s pass made the win much easier. Hyuga tried to intercept it, but it hurt his hand too much and he dropped it, to which Kawahara picked it up and threw it to Kuroko.

Hyuga and Izuki did give the first years some trouble, Hyuga’s threes were too good and him collaborating with Izuki got them many points. Mitobe also blocked several of her shots to the point that she started shooting threes. But she was no where near as accurate as Hyuga.

She picked up her bag at the end of practice.

“Kuroko, let’s get dinner.” She said. “I don’t want to eat alone tonight.”

He nodded.

She eyed the other first years. “You guys should come too, we should celebrate our win.”

“It was just a practice game but okay.” Kawahara said.

“A girl invited me out to eat…” Furihata shook as he spoke.

“Don’t get too excited, she invited all of us.” Fukuda laughed.

They went to Magi Burger. The others, with the exception of Kuroko looked at her wide eyed as she walked to their table with a stack of burgers.

“Seriously how do you eat so much!” Fukuda laughed.

Kagami shrugged. “I’m always hungry.”

“I think she uses it all up when she plays basketball.” Kawahara said. “She plays harder than all of us.”

“Yeah Kagami, I can’t believe how good you are.” Furihata commented. “And I don’t mean as a girl, I mean as a basketball player.” He then looked down. “I don’t think I’ll ever get to second string, and never first.”

Kagami took a bite and eyed him. “Hey come on, you did pretty good as point guard today.” She said. “You could easily sub in for Izuki.” She wasn’t lying. Furihata was always nervous on the court but he did play well with the first years. He was quick to pass to Kuroko and sometimes to her. And she was able to pass to him whenever she was double teamed by Koganei and Mitobe. He even scored a few points.

“I’m also tall.” She continued. “That always helps with basketball. Even in America I was always the tallest on my team.” She was already six-foot-tall when she was twelve and her middle school team in America was happy to recruit her and she was a starter her first year. She towered over the other girls and only one other came close to her height. She had also played on the volleyball team, but had always preferred basketball.

“You know there’s a lot of other teams talking about you.” Fukuda said. “You know, you being a girl on the boys team.”

“Yeah and I can’t wait until they stop.” Kagami rolled her eyes. She understood that she was a novelty but how many games was she going to have to play before people stopped being so shocked that a girl could keep up with the boys? Was she going to have to beat every one of the generation of miracles? And just what made them stand out from other players? Kise had his copy cat ability but what about the others.

“Kuroko.” She spoke. He had been so quiet that it was almost like he wasn’t there.

He looked up from his vanilla shake.

Tell me about the other generation of miracles. We’re going to play against them eventually, so I think we should know something about them.

“There’s Midorima, he attends Shutoku, we’ll probably play him next. He never misses a shot. Murasakibara… he was the center, many schools had trouble scoring against him. Akashi, was our point guard, he Teiko to victory. Aomine…” He paused and took another drink. “He was Teiko’s ace.”

She waited for him to continue. All he had done was tell her their basketball positions. Kuroko was pretty much her best friend at school, yet at times it was so hard to communicate with him. She sat behind him in class, ate lunch and they went to practice together. Yet she still felt like she barely knew him.

 “Okay… can you tell me anything else about them? I mean you were friends with them right? And you played with them for three years…”

He looked down at the table. “By the third year, they weren’t really playing basketball anymore. Teiko was so strong that they would crush all their opponents and for them, the games became nothing but a contest to see who could score the most points.” He paused. “Midorima, if he gets the ball, he’ll score a three pointer. He can shoot accurately from as far as half court.”

“And who will we play after Midorima?”

“Aomine I think.” Kuroko said and then quickly finished with. “Then Kaijo.”

She waited for him to say something more about Aomine but he didn’t. Kagami then smiled. If she could win against Teiko’s ace that should get her some respect from other players. Then they would play against Kaijo again, this time in a real game.

* * *

 

Seirin walked into the gym, ready for their next game. They were so close to the final inter high preliminaries, the very next week, if they won this game, they would face one of the kings of the district.

“Alright guys, this shouldn’t be too hard, they’re a new school.” One of the players on the opposing team said.

She looked over at the other team, immediately recognizing the voice. The five bullies from the court she, Kuroko, and Kise played against, were among the teams starting lineup.

Kagami walked over to half court just as they were about to start warming up.

“Hey.” She said giving them a cold look. Unknown to her, Kuroko stood next to her.

All five panicked.

“What it’s those guys!”

“Damn we’re going to lose to a girl!”

They destroyed their opponent almost tripling their score. The other team barely had the will to play against them. Kagami thought they could have thrown the first years into the game and won.

“It was great crushing those guys again.” She smiled at Kuroko and gave him a high five. Kuroko barely reacted. They walked off the court back to their coach.

“That wasn’t even a game.” Riko frowned. “What was with them?”

Kagami laughed nervously not wanting Riko to know what had happened at the basketball court. “Who knows.”

Riko raised her eyebrow as if knowing Kagami was hiding something.

“Hey Shutoku has a game next!” Izuki said.

That was enough to distract Riko and as if on cue, the door to the gym opened and a team dressed in orange walked in. Shutoku was written on their jackets.

Kagami leaned down and whispered to Kuroko. “Which one is Midorima.”

“The tall one with the glasses.” He pointed.

She looked at Midorima and tilted her head. He was the only one on their team not looking at her and from what she could tell, Midorima was taller than her. And oddly enough, he held a teddy bear dressed as a martial artist.

Kuroko walked over to him slowing as he approached. Midorima look at him. There was an air of discomfort between the two.

“Midorima-kun.” Kuroko said.

Midorima narrowed his eyes. “Kuroko… I’m disappointed that you went to that no name school. They cannot utilize your skills properly.”

Hearing that, Kagami scoffed and walked over. Time to meet this guy.

“Hey.” She said getting his attention.

Midorima looked at her. “And you are?”

“Shin-chan you know who she is.” A boy next to him laughed.

“Takao!”

“I’m Kagami Taiga.” She reached out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

He looked at it as if it were alien. Then he finally grabbed her hand lightly and gave her the stiffest hand shake, never once giving her his name.

Kagami reached into her pocket with her other hand and pulled out a marker. She scribbled her name onto his hand, putting hearts around it.

Midorima’s mouth dropped open as if he couldn’t believe what was happening. The upper classmen stood around and gasped and the one named Takao continued to laugh.

“Just in case you forget it again.” Kagami winked.

He glared at her.

 Takao stepped forward and held out his hand. “I’m Takao Kazunari, its nice to finally meet you Kagami. We’ve heard quite a bit about you.”

The other upper classmen also shook her hand, one in particular looking up at her as if he couldn’t believe how tall she was.

She turned back to Midorima. “So I guess we’ll play against each other in the finals?” All she wanted was for him to talk more to her, maybe show an emotion other than distain. But he was the completely opposite of Kise.

“If you beat Seiho, then yes.” He said. “But if you make it to the finals, don’t think that you will win. I’ve seen you play and your skill level is nowhere near mine.”

“Well aren’t you pleasant.” Kagami mumbled. She really didn’t like this guy.

“Don’t be too intimidated by him.” Takao said. “He’s just a tsundere. He says that he doesn’t get along with Kuroko but he talks about him all the time.”

“Takao!”

“And Kagami he knew who you were, he even said that you were a good basketball player.”

“Takao!”

Shutoku’s coach entered the gym.

“Hey what are you doing! Go warm up!” He ordered. “We have a game soon!”

Midorima started to walk away with his other team but Takao stuck behind.

“We’ll see you later Kagami.” Takao said. “Good luck against Seiho.”

He ran to catch up to Midroima.

“Good job Shin-chan! That ignoring her worked!”

“Huh what do you mean?”

Takao grabbed his hand and he gasped. “Wow you even got her phone number!”

Kagami felt her insides go cold. “What! I wrote my phone number on his hand too!” she covered her face with her hands. It must have been habit for her. She had been out her number to her teammates the past few weeks.

Riko walked up next to her and the rest of the team followed. “Bakagami!”

 “I’m sure you’ll make a great couple.” Izuki winked and before he could make a pun Koganei spoke.

“He is one of the few guys taller than you. I’m sure he is a wonderful person under that cold heart.”

She frowned at them both. The though of going on a date with that guy infuriated her. She knew that she'd do anything to get him to show any emotion other than being snobby and uppity and it wouldn't work, and then she'd probably get touchy with him and... she closed her eyes wondering why she was even thinking about that.  

Mitobe put his hand on her shoulder and grinned.

“I wish you many happy years together.” Kuroko said with no emotion.

“Kuroko not you too!” She blushed and had forgotten that he was next to her.

“Stop it everyone!” Hyuga yelled. “We are not marrying her off! Especially not to someone on Shutoku!”

“Hyuga we’re just joking.” Tsuchida said.

Hyuga folded his arms. “Why don’t we watch their game and see just how good they are.”

* * *

 

They sat in the stands and watched both teams warm up. Midorima shot his baskets from half court just as Kuroko said he would and made every single one.

“What are we going to do about those threes.” Hyuga groaned.

“Easy, we’ll make sure he never gets the ball.” Kagami said. She kept her eyes on him watching his form. His arcs were high and she wasn’t sure if she would be able to jump high enough to block his shots.

Stopping Midorima from getting the ball seemed far more difficult once the game started. Midorima wasn’t the only good player, everyone on the team had the fundamentals down. They could pass, dribble and more than one could shoot threes accurately. Takao was also a very good point guard and would pass to Midorima, who would then score a three.

As soon as Midorima would shoot, he’d walk back to the other side of the court before the ball ever went into the net. This only annoyed Kagami.

“He’s way to confident.” She said louder than intended.

“I told you he never misses.” Kuroko said.

The game ended with Shutoku nearly tripling the other teams score. Kagami could only think they may be in trouble when they do play Shutoku.

She looked at Midorima as he walked off the court.

_No, I’ll block those shots._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Midorima... you're going to be way too much fun to write.


	5. Momoi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted Kagami to meet Momoi before she met Aomine. I have to rewatch/reread Seirin vs Shutoku and figure out how I'm going to write it into this fic and I have a few tests this week. So here's a quick chapter. Shutoku vs Seirin will also take me a little longer to write.

Kagami shot the basket from the three-point line. It went in with a swish. She was at the basketball court near her apartment getting in some extra practice. In a few days Seirin would have a game against Seiho, one of the three kings of the district… and if they won, no when they won that game, they would play Shutoku later that day. She was excited to play two strong schools on the dame day however… her feet hurt. All that jumping over the past few weeks had taken its toll. But she wasn’t too concerned. Games always got her fired up, especially when they were against a strong opponent. She doubted that she’d feel any pain.

She grabbed her basketball and went to shoot another three. Just as the ball left her hands a girl with pink hair entered the court and walked towards her.

Kagami turned to face her, wondering if she was someone from school... or middle school who she had forgotten about.

“Hello Kagami.” She said and gave a smile that seemed a little forced.

“Um…” Kagami tried to remember who the girl was. The girl knew her name and was comfortable enough approaching her. They had to have met sometime. Kagami glanced over at her basketball, which was rolling toward the fence then back at the girl. “I’m sorry, who are you?”

“I’m Momoi Satsuki.” She continued to smile. “I wanted to officially meet you.”

“Okay.” Kagami said. Maybe it was another basketball player. Many girls from other teams would approach her after the games to talk. “Nice to meet you.”

“Tetsu-kun hasn’t mentioned me?” She asked nonchalant.

“Um I’m sorry but no.” She said relieved. “So you know Kuroko?”

“I was the manager for Teiko’s basketball club.” She then blushed. “I’m also Tetsu-kun’s girlfriend.”

Kagami’s eyes widened. Kuroko had never mentioned that he had a girlfriend. It was almost hard for her to believe it with him being invisible to most people.

“Well he’s a very lucky guy.” Kagami smiled and then went over to grab her basketball. “Do you go to Seirin?”

Momoi grinned at the compliment but then shook her head. “No I go to Touou… I have to take care of one of our other friends…” She paused and then looked Kagami up and down, as if she were studying her. Kagami shrunk up a little as she did.

 “You two see each other every day right?” Momoi seemed nervous as she spoke.

Kagami finally understood why she came to meet her.

“Yes we’re on the same team and we do have practice everyday. But you have nothing to worry about, I don’t date team mates.”

Momoi breathed a sigh of relief and then gave her a genuine smile. “Good I was worried.”

Kagami shot another basket. “So… do you play basketball? I mean you were the manager of Teiko.”

She shook her head. “No… only my friends do.”

Kagami picked up her basketball and bounced it to Momoi. “Try to take a shot.” She said.

“Um…” Momoi held the ball.

“Come on, I should probably get to know my shadow’s girlfriend.”

Momoi shot the ball. It hit the rim and bounced back to her. Her form had been completely wrong and with the way she held the ball, there was no way it would have gone in the basket.

“See I’m not good.” She laughed.

“You just need practice.” Kagami said.

“You’re going to play against Shutoku this week right?” Momoi asked and bounced the ball back to Kagami.

“After we beat Seiho,”

“You’re really good.” Momoi spoke. “But I don’t know if you can beat Midorima-kun. He was the vice captain of Teiko’s basketball club. And even if you do, you’ll never beat Dai-chan.”

Kagami frowned. Why did she have to say that? “Uh who? Dai-chan?”

“Aomine.”

“Oh, Teiko’s ace. Well, they said I’d never beat Kise, but Seirin won that practice game.”

She shook her head. “Kise… hasn’t been playing as long as the others and he was never as strong as them.”

“I don’t know, he was pretty good, I never would have been able to win without Kuroko’s help.” Another thought occurred, to her, if Kise could copy the other four, he’d be unstoppable. Hopefully that wouldn’t happen before they played an official game against Kaijo.

“No, the others really are on a different level.” Momoi started to walk away. “But I do want Seirin to win their game against Shutoku. Then I’ll get to see Kuroko again… you know… he used to be Dai-chan’s shadow in middle school.”

With that she left.

Kagami held her basketball. So Kuroko had another light? He had never mentioned that to her, but it made sense. He needed someone to play with for his style to be affective. Kise had also wanted him to transfer to Kaijo. 

* * *

 

Class the next day was boring. Kagami could barely stay awake. This was made worse by the fact that she had been practicing so much that week that she was exhausted.

As the teacher continued to lecture, her eyes closed.

“Kagami! What are you doing sleeping in my class!”

Her eyes opened and she nearly fell out of her desk.

“Sorry!” She apologized. Next to her, Kuroko was laying with his head on his desk and was slowly opening his eyes.

She glared at him.  The teacher hadn’t noticed he had been sleeping.

At lunch she pulled out her food and moved her desk closer to Kuroko’s. She frowned at his meager portions.

“Kuroko, why didn’t you tell me you had a girlfriend?”

Kuroko looked up at her. “I don’t.”

She blinked. “Um… then who is Momoi?”

“She’s just a close friend from middle school… did you meet Momoi?”

“Yeah, I was playing basketball last night at a court and she came over to say hi. I think she was a little jealous…” She paused. “And you two really aren’t dating?”

He shook his head.

“Well she seems to think so, you might want to clear that up with her.”

“What all did she talk to you about?” Kuroko asked.

“Not much, I think she just wanted to find out if we were dating. And she said that we probably weren’t going to win against Shutoku.”

“Momoi was probably trying to get information on you.”

Kagami raised her eye brow. “What do you mean?”

“It’s her specialty, she has notes on every team and every basketball player.” Kuroko said. “And she uses it to help her team. Touou will know everything about us and they’ll be able to predict our plays.”

Kagami groaned. “Well I don’t think I told her too much…”

“She probably watched you play and wrote down your style and your patterns…” Kuroko said. “But it doesn’t matter, she’ll probably watch one of our games and take notes before we play Touou.”

Kagami rested her chin on her hand, now feeling annoyed at that girl that had seemed so friendly the previous day.

“By the way, you had another light at Teiko?”

Kuroko broke eye contact. “Yes Aomine.”

“So you were Teiko’s ace’s light.”

“Mmm-hmm.” Kuroko still wouldn’t look at her.

Kagami sighed. “And I’ll take it that things didn’t end well because you really don’t want to talk about it.” She went to change the subject and then took notice of his food again.

“And you need to eat more.” She said giving him some of hers. Lately she had been making extra food. Kuroko barely packed his lunch but anytime she’d give him any of hers, he’d eat it all.

“I don’t have that much time in the morning.”

* * *

 

Momoi found Aomine in his usual spot, laying down on top of the school roof.  She skipped over to him, ready to tell him about Kagami.

“Dai-chan!”

“Huh.” He opened his eyes. “Satsuki what do you want?”

 “I met Kagami yesterday.”

“Oh her? Where did you meet her and why are you so excited?”

 “I saw her playing basketball so I went over to talk.” She then grinned. “And she’s not Tetsu’s girlfriend!”

Aomine rolled his eyes. “Is that why you went to meet her? To clear that up? I already told you that she probably wasn’t Tetsu’s type.”

“I had to Daiki! He’s now with two girls every day!” She knew about Seirin’s coach. And she probably went into the locker rooms with the boys. She didn’t what Kagami did and she hoped that she had gotten her own room to change her clothes.  “If I had known that I would have gone to Seirin!”

“I almost wish you had.”

She was ready to slap him. She had only gone to Touou to take care of him after everything that had happened in middle school. “And how do you know she isn’t his type? When was the last time you spoke to him!”

Aomine stood up and groaned. “Can you really imagine Tetsu with a girl like her? She’d be way too much for him to handle.”

“I don’t know, she seemed pretty nice.” Kagami hadn’t been at all rude to her and had even given her a compliment. Momoi had thought she would be much scarier and meaner. But she had been so kind.

“She can’t be nice if she’s playing on the boy’s team. I don’t know if you’ve heard what some of the guys have been saying about her.”

Momoi had heard very little. Some of what the boys said was gross. Wanting to “accidently” foul her during a game by pushing themselves up against her. Others said she must be banging everyone on Seirin’s team. She could only imagine that Aomine had heard far worse.

Aomine yawned. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter, she’s going to lose to Midorima.”

Momoi didn’t say anymore on that because she felt it was the truth. Kagami would need a miracle to win. But she seemed so determined and loved basketball. Almost like someone else she knew.

Momoi eyed Aomine.

“Dai-chan… do you think she’s your type? I mean she really loves basketball…” Maybe a girl was needed to bring Aomine out of his slump. A few had come up to talk to him during his short time at Touou but he pretty much dismissed them, even the beautiful girls.

Aomine eyed her. “Her boobs are way too small.”

“Dai-chan!” She wanted to slap him again. “Don’t you want someone that you would actually enjoy spending time with!”

“You don’t think I wouldn’t enjoy everything I could do with a girl with big boobs?” He laughed. “I don’t even know Kagami, and you’ve only spoken to her once. Maybe if she can beat me in basketball but we know that’s not going to happen.”

She groaned. Aomine seemed to prefer the girls in his magazines to any real one. But she knew there was something else going on with him. Ever since he had gotten too good at basketball and didn’t return Kuroko’s fist bump. And it worried her. If she had thought he would be okay she would have gone to Seirin. But she couldn’t leave him alone at a new school.

Kagami was good at basketball but Aomine was right, she probably wouldn’t beat him in a one on one. Momoi had taken a very close look at her chest and knew it would never get Aomine’s attention. But she had more that made up for it. Her height, those well-toned muscles, those abs that she knew were under that shirt, her ruby eyes, how cool she was. She imagined her and Kagami hanging out, getting sweets together, Kagami helping her out with basketball, her arms over hers and she helped her with her form…

“Satsuki why are you blushing? Are you thinking of me and her together?”

 “What!” Momoi felt her face get hotter. “No I wasn’t!”

“Right, sure you weren’t.” Aomine rolled his eyes. “Are you that desperate to make sure she and Tetsu don’t fall in love?”

“No of course not!” She hid her face. If only Aomine knew the thought that truly crossed her mind.

She pulled out her notebook and turned to Kagami’s page.

_Girl on boys team. 6’3”, small boobs, arms that could lift me up, toned legs that beg to be touched, abs beautiful abs, tough girl, dunks, cool, so cool._

Those notes were almost as embarrassing as the ones she had written for Kuroko, the only page that she’d never let anyone read. Well now she had another…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really can't wait till Kagami meet's Aomine. I have a rough draft of a few of those chapters and they are just so much fun to write together. Actually, writing fem Kagami with any of the GOM is fun. I always end up figuring out a dynamic I hadn't thought of when I first started working on the story. In future chapters I may write headcanons in these notes about Kagami in a relationship with each of them, and maybe what I like about her with each of them.
> 
> And oh Momoi... well I did say that this would be KagamixGOM and I did mean all of them lol


	6. Seirin vs Shutoku

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got this one out sooner than I expected. I think it's the longest I've written and I hope the game doesn't drag too long.

Kagami sat on the bench as the Seiho match neared its end. After her fourth foul, Riko had taken her out of the game. There were other reasons she was benched. Riko wanted her to save her strength for their game against Shutoku and this was a revenge match for the upper classmen after being destroyed by the team the previous year.

But while the upperclassmen were playing, Koganei had been injured and couldn’t play the rest of the game. Kagami begged to be put back in but Riko refuse and instead put in Kuroko.

So Kagami sat on the bench sulking, wishing she could be playing in those final minutes. She could only imagine that people in the stands were blaming the fact that she was a girl for Riko wanting to conserve her strength, and it just made her feel weak.

The game ended with Seirin winning. The upper classmen celebrated, Mitobe was in tears as he hugged Hyuga and Izuki.

The team lined up and then they went to the locker rooms.

“No one take their jackets off!” Riko ordered. “You need to stay warmed up. And replace your nutrients!”

Mitobe handed her some lemons soaked in honey which she accepted. She bit in to one. It tasted pretty good all things considered.

Then she sat down on the ground and leaned up against the lockers, her mind on the next game. A game with another one of the generation miracle and one that was quite unpleasant. She frowned remembering how cold Midorima had been when they met. If he knew that she was out of that last game for the fourth quarter… she clenched her fist.

 _We will win and I will block your shots!_ She had been saying that to herself since before she had gone to bed the previous night.

Sometime while sitting she dozed off and was woken up later by Kuroko nudging her.

“Kagami…” He said.

She opened her eyes and saw that their next game started in ten minutes.

She yawned, stretched and stood up. “Alright, let’s go beat Shutoku!” She pumped her fist up into the air.

“Um Kagami, there may be a problem.”

“Huh what?” she eyed him.

“Earlier in the bathroom, their point guard Takao was able to see me…”

She looked at him, unsure of what to say. That could be a problem but with the game starting soon she didn’t want him to worry about something like that.

“I’m sure it’s fine… I mean… he knows who you are and you’re not completely invisible to everyone.”

It was all she could say but he seemed to perk up.

* * *

 

The game was about to start. She stood across from Shutoku’s center, a very large high school student named Otsubo. She glared at him doing her best to intimidate and he looked back as if he wasn’t sure how to react to her. She then located Midorima who had his attention on her. She couldn’t read his expression, but she knew that he would be marking her.

The ref tossed the ball up into the air. Kagami jumped, higher than Otsubo and got the ball. She hit it to Mitobe and smiled as she landed. If they could score first then they could take control of the first quarter. She ran to the basket.

Mitobe passed to Kuroko who passed to her. She had been expecting an ignite pass put it was a normal one. She jumped to catch it and went to dunk. But a hand came and batted the ball away.

She stared at her empty hands as she heard the ball bounce away.

Midorima looked at her. “Did you really think that was going to work against me?”

She scoffed but he ran by her towards Shutoku’s basket. She followed, the last thing she was going to do was let him get the ball.

Otsubo had the ball and went to dunk, but Mitobe jumped up and blocked his basket.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

Hyuga got the ball and went to pass it to her, but it was intercepted by Takao who passed right to Midorima.

“Shit!” Kagami ran towards him angry that she hadn’t been marking him.

He started to shoot from behind the three point line. It left his hands and he started to walk back to Seirin’s basket. She threw her hands down and nearly let out a yell. They were going to have control of the first quarter.

“Run back to ours!” Kuroko ran by her.

“Right!” Kagami ran to their basket. As she got below the basket Kuroko had already thrown the ball. It flew past Midorima and she caught it and then jumped up and dunked it. She grinned as she landed.

“Sorry.” Kuroko said walking by Midorima. “But I can’t let you have the first quarter that easily.”

Midorima glared at him and then at Kagami. She returned it with a smile.

* * *

 

Riko sat and watched the game her chin resting in her hands. All day she had been sick with nerves. Two big games in one day was almost too much to handle. And she had done all she could to keep this hidden from her team. If she showed any visible anxiety it would surly affect the morale of the team.

Midorima scored another three pointer and Kagami countered with another dunk.

She sighed. It was great that they were counter attacking, but Shutoku was scoring threes while they were only scoring twos. Though she had to admit, the looks of smugness they were giving the other after one had scored was amusing… if only this weren’t such a crucial game.

She scanned the court noting where everyone was and became concerned when Takao was marking Kuroko and never losing track of him.

Izuki went to pass to Kuroko but Takao got to the ball first and passed to Midorima. He said something to Kuroko that Riko couldn’t hear, but from his reaction, it wasn’t kind.

After Kagami scored another dunk, Riko called a time out.

The team walked over and sat on the bench. She handed Kagami her water bottle before she sat.

“Kuroko… why is Takao able to follow you?”

Before he could say anything Izuki spoke first.

“His misdirection won’t work against him.”

“What do you mean?”

“He has the same eye as me only… his has more range…”

She groaned. That was just what they needed while playing Shutoku. If one of their secret weapons was useless out on the court, it would be very difficult to win the game.

Kuroko lowered his head and looked at the ground.

“Hey, you’re not going to let that guy stop you right?” Kagami spoke gentler than Riko was used to.

“Um…”

She folded her arms. “I’m the one marking Midorima. I’ll handle him and you deal with Takao.”

Kuroko nodded.

Riko couldn’t help but smile. Kagami could at times be way more intimidating than most guys she had met and she was so competitive and aggressive. To see her being sweet to Kuroko made her heart melt a little. Then as she thought about it, their friendship was odd, but they were always seen together at school.

The time out ended and team went back out to the court.

“Please Kagami.” She said barely above a whisper. “Please find a way to stop Midorima.” If she didn’t Seirin would have no chance of winning the game.

* * *

 

The game started back up. Takao stole another pass from Kuroko that Kagami was intending to get. He passed it right to Midorima at half court. She ran to him, expecting him to move closer to the basket. But once she caught up he was already starting to shoot from half court.

 _No way!_ Although Kuroko had said that he could shoot from that distance. She jumped but couldn’t reach the ball. The ball flew through the air and went into the basket.

She frowned. The shot was annoying and the fact that she couldn’t block it was even more annoying.

Izuki had the ball and she eyed him signaling for him to pass to her. She caught the ball and dribbled to the three-point line. Midorima met her there and already hand his hands up intending to block. She shot the basketball over him. It was sloppy but she had another plan. She ran by Midroima caught the ball as it was missing the net and dunked it.

“What was that!” Someone yelled.

“An alley-oop with herself!”

“She’s amazing!”

“Nice shot Kagami.” Izuki complimented running back on defense. Kagami smiled and followed.

“Kagami!” Hyuga ran over to her. “We need to catch up, pass to me and I’ll shoot threes… your shots aren’t consistent enough.”

She almost took offense to it. But he was right, they had to close the point gap.

“Right.”

* * *

 

Kise sat next to Kasamatsu watching the game. If Seirin could win, they’d be one step closer to playing a real game against them. But he also knew that their next game was against Touou, and he wasn’t sure if Aomine would be too much for them.

“This is no good.” Kasamatsu said. “They need threes. Kagami’s dunking is impressive but that is only getting them two points.”

“But she did that alle- oop with herself, that was pretty cool.” Kise said. And he had meant it. It was a skill that he’d like to copy. Kagami was always surprising him.

“It doesn’t matter, it’s still only two points.” Kasamatsu shook his head. “Midorima just scores a three right after her. The point margin will only increase.” He paused. “She either needs to score a three or pass to Hyuga.”

Kasamatsu turned his attention back to the court as if studying the game.

“And what’s worse, Kuroko isn’t invisible to Takao, that is really going to hurt Seirin.”

“Huh?” Kise eyed Kuroko and Takao. Any time Kuroko went to get a pass Takao was there to block it. And worse, he was able to keep track of him.

“I do hope they win, I would like to play Seirin in a real game.” Kasamatsu said. “Kagami is really good, I’d hate to see her lose here… and I’d feel much better about our practice game if Shutoku lost.” He sighed. “Do you know how many people won’t stop talking about how Kaijo lost to a girl? I mean we’re not the only team, but we’re supposed to be one of the best.”

Kise nodded and forced a smile. That was one of the reasons that he wanted Seirin to win especially after what Midorima said after he had lost… And if Seirin could win, no if he could just lose a game, maybe that would take care of some of his arrogance.

Hyuga got the ball and scored.

“Go Seirin!” Kise jumped up and cheered. He looked at Midrioma wondering if he had heard, but Midorima didn’t give any indication that he had.

“Looks like they took my advice.” Kasamatsu laughed.

But Midorima soon had the ball again. Kagami ran to block and jumped. She was so close to him that any closer and they would have hit. But her jump just wasn’t high enough to block his shot. Midorima looked at her, very annoyed.

Kise started to laugh. “You know, I think that the closest Midorima has ever been to a girl. He should consider himself lucky… but I don’t think he even noticed.”

Kasamatsu glared at him. “You weren’t getting hot for her when you were marking each other during our practice game were you?”

“What no not at all!”

“You did ask her out on that date…”

“Yeah but during a game we’re opponents! Off the court, that’s when I imagine my happy future with her and Kurokocchi.” And it was the truth. During that practice game all he had wanted to do was win the game. And even after, he had been so upset that he lost that there was nothing romantic on his mind.

“Her and Kurokocchi?” Kasamatsu narrowed his eyes. “So, your fantasy is that you two are going to get married and Kuroko is going to live with you?”

Kise laughed nervously. “Yeah something like that.” Kasamatsu hadn’t caught on to what he really wanted and he was grateful for that. Who knew how his Senpai would feel.

Kasamatsu sat back in his chair. “I’m just surprised she’s your type.”

He blushed. “Well we’re both good at basketball, I mean that’s something we could talk about or do together, so why wouldn’t she be?” That was only part of it. Most girls that approached him would just tell him how hot he was, or ask for his autograph or ask to go on a date. Kagami on the other hand had challenged him at basketball, played her hardest against him during a game, snapped him out of the Teiko mindset (with Kuroko), yelled at him for “stealing” Kuroko, asked him to go beat up some bullies with her… which of course they played basketball instead. He started to smile thinking about it but then remembered his captain was right next to him.

He watched her try to block another shot from Midroima. “I think she’s jumping higher.” He said. It was the one thing he noticed about her during their game. How high she could jump. It was higher than him and it almost seemed… inhuman?

“You know, if she was a boy and went to Teiko, she probably would have been part of the generation of miracles.” Kise said not doubting it for a second.

Kasamatsu nodded. “Actually… you said Teiko was all about winning right? She may have been put on the boys team.”

“Huh?”

“Think about it. Girls reach their full height before boys. She may have been taller than your center in her first and possibly second year of middle school. Teiko may have wanted to put her on the girl’s team because of her height and skills. I mean… she’s taller than most full-grown men here.”

He imagined her on Teiko’s team. Would she be a starter and he remained a sub? Would her skills be beyond what they are now? And would she have gotten arrogant like the others? And most importantly, would they have gone on a date? He shook his head. Kuroko said that she didn’t date teammates.

But still, she was probably far better than any girl’s on her old team, she should have gotten some recognition. But he or anyone else had never heard of her.

“Do you know what middle school she went to?” Kise asked.

“No I don’t.” Then he looked at him. “You’re her friend, why don’t you know?”

Kise laughed. “I never thought to ask.” He focused on Kagami again. “But I’m surprised no one has heard of her. I bet her middle school team won the championships.”

“That’s because no one cares about girls’ basketball.” Kasamatsu said.

“Not even someone like her?”

“No it just doesn’t get the attention.” He said. “Besides, she transferred her third year of middle school right? That not enough time to get a reputation especially when she’s graduating that year.”

They watched Hyuga score another three. Kagami ran back on defense almost knocking down Miyagi.

Kasamatsu winced. “You know, it’s probably a good thing she’s on the boy’s team. She could probably accidently injure every other girl playing.”

Kise nodded and continued to watch as Kagami ran to mark Midorima. “Come on Kagamicchi, block his shots.” He said quietly to himself.

* * *

 

Takao got the ball and threw it to Midorima right under Seirin’s basket. Midorima got ready to shoot. Kagami stopped running to Shutoku’s basket and ran back to Midorima, unable to believe what was about to happen.

 _There’s no way he can make that!_ But one thing she knew about Midorima, he never attempted a shot he knew wouldn’t score. But maybe it was a bluff…

“No that’s impossible!” Hyuga said nearby.

Kagami was too late. The ball left his hands and flew across the court and into the basket.

“Uh…” Kagami stopped in front of him unable to believe what had just happened.

He gave her a cold look. “Do you understand now? My range is the entire court.”

The first quarter ended.

* * *

 

Riko had a headache as the team went back to the bench. What she had just seen seemed so surreal.

“Kuroko… could Midorima always shoot that far away?” She placed her hand on her head.

“No…” Kuroko replied squeezing his hands together. “The furthest I’ve ever seen him shoot was from half court.”

“I can’t believe he would do that during a game.” Izuki commented. “I mean, I’ve seen guys in the NBA do that during practice but never in a game.

They were going to need a new strategy.

* * *

 

Second quarter started and nothing was working. They tried to have Kuroko mark Midorima but Takao would just show up to screen him. With his hawk eye, Kuroko couldn’t do much in the game.

Midorima held the ball and got ready to shoot. Kagami ran over to block. She jumped, her finger tips almost reaching the ball as it left his hand. She landed and heard the ball go into the net.

“It’s useless.” He said to her. “You’re not going to block one of my shots.”

She ignored him and looked him up and down, which seemed to make him a little uncomfortable.

“You know… you’re one of the few people here that are taller than me.” And with that she ran back to offense more determined than ever to block that shot. She’d do it even if it killed her.

* * *

 

The second quarter ended with a score of 45-27. Some people were already calling it Shutoku’s win.

Kagami was relieved to be in the locker room drinking her water where she didn’t have to hear any of the comments. A win was seeming more and more impossible with Midorima shooting threes from all over the court.

 _Jump higher._ She thought. _Come on, jump higher and beat one more of the generation of miracles._ The idea of winning against another was enough to convince her to not give up.

“Hey Kuroko, have you figured out Takao’s weakness?” Hyuga asked.

Kuroko was watching a video of the previous quarters on a phone. “No.” He said. “But you know, I’ve always wanted to win, but I never thought about whether I was capable of winning.” He paused. “But you know, the score could be 100 points apart and an asteroid could hit the opponents at the last second of the game.”

Kagami laughed.

“You really can’t count on that.” Hyuga said. “Asteroids don’t just fall out of the sky.”

“Maybe we should think of something reasonable, like maybe they’ll get food poisoning.” Koganei suggested.

“That’s not going to happen either.” Riko rolled her eyes. “Kagami.” Riko looked at her. “Do you think you’ll be able to block Midroima’s shots?”

She nodded. “They’re high, but I think I can do it. I just need to jump a little higher. If I just touch it maybe I can throw the ball off its path.”

“Well you gave him your number, right?” Izuki winked. “Just give him a pouty face and maybe he’ll mess up his shot.”

“Oh, and put your sleeve down over your shoulder. I think your boyfriend needs some love.” Koganei laughed.

“Stop that two!” Hyuga yelled. “She’s not his girlfriend!”

“She not doing either of those!” Riko followed.

The two cowered beneath their captain and coach.

“Yeah, I don’t play that way, if I’m going to win it’s going to be because I played a better game.” She patted her chest. “I don’t have much on top anyway, so that wouldn’t work.”

“Kagami they’re still there.” Riko frowned.

“Anyway, that guy is way too uptight, I doubt he’s ever had a dirty thought in his life. Right Kuroko?”

“Um… yes Midorima-kun is more focused on other things.”

* * *

 

Third quarter started, and Kuroko was put on the bench. Kagami found herself a little nervous going on to the court without him despite this usually happening during games so that his misdirection doesn’t run out. What made her nervous was that they were doing it because his misdirection didn’t work against Takao. And she felt like she was going out onto the court alone, and still hadn’t blocked one of Midorima’s shots.

Seirin got the ball immediately, but as Hyuga held it, it was knocked out of his and picked up by Miyagi who passed to Midorima. Kagami ran. Kuroko’s statement played in her head.

_I’ve always wanted to win but I never about whether I was capable of winning._

Midorima got ready to shoot.

 _Jump higher!_ She told herself right before putting all her energy into her jump. She reached up and her finger tips touched the ball. The ball flew, hit the rim but still bounced in.

“Yay Kagami!” A girl’s voice yelled.

She turned excepting it to be one of the girl’s from Kaijo. But it came from a group of girls dressed in orange.

 _Shutoku’s girl’s basketball club? Okay now we really have to win._ She scanned the seats and found a group of girls wearing blue. So Kaijo’s girl’s team was there.

Midorima look at her wide eyed.

Even though his shot still went in the basket, she still felt some satisfaction for having touched the ball. Maybe that shot could be blocked after all.

“Um what’s your horoscope?” He asked.

“My what?” Kagami wasn’t sure if she had heard him right.

“Your horoscope.”

“Oh I’m a Leo.” She said before running off and not thinking much of that odd question.

There was something she noticed about his shots. The further he was away from the basket, the more time it took him to shoot. She would just have to use that to block his next one…

She marked Midorima once the ball was passed to Koganei.

 _Please make it!_ She thought knowing his accuracy was only about fifty percent. The ball hit the backboard and went into the basket.

“He made it!” Izuki cheered.

She cheered along with him.

Shutoku now had the ball and they went pass to Midorima. Kagami went to block but Takao stepped in front of her.

“Sorry.” He grinned. “But we’re not losing to a girl. Can you play two on one?”

Groaning and ultimately ignoring him she ran by.

“Hey!” He yelled.

Midroima went to shoot again this time faster. She ran behind him and jumped putting in all her energy and reached up. Her fingers touched the ball. It flew, hit the rim and bounced off.

She stared wide eyed but Otsubo got the rebound and dunked the ball.

“Damn it!” She said under her breath. But Midorima had still missed. And thinking about it, that was probably the first basket he had ever missed since starting high school maybe even middle school.

 People in the stands were cheering some yelling her name. She glanced at Shutoku’s bench. Everyone including the coach stared at her with their mouths open. In front of her Midorima looked at her as if he couldn’t believe what had happened.

* * *

 

Despite the fact that Shutoku had scored. Riko was happy that Kagami had stopped Midorima’s shot. It now seemed as if they had a chance to win. That didn’t mean they couldn’t ignore the other strong players on the team.

Midorima moved in closer to shoot and Kagami blocked another one of his shots and this time, no one from Shutoku got the rebound and scored.

The next time Shutoku had the ball it was passed to their center Otsubo. He was about to dunk, jumping higher than Koganei and Mitobe. But Kagami ran up behind and hit the ball out of his hands.

She was excited now. Kagami had a rush of energy and was playing better than Riko had ever seen. It looked like they may pull off a turnover.

The others seemed to feel the same way and were now scoring, pulling Seirin into a single point difference. Yet there was still something that made her nervous and Kuroko seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Then she looked at Kagami’s ankles. They trembled anytime she took a step.

* * *

 

Kagami ran to block Midorima again. It now felt easier knowing how high she had to jump. As she approached, Midorima held the all and looked at her.

“I recognize your skill.” He said.

She rolled her eyes. _Just play the game already._

“But I will not let you go any further.” He said and then started to shoot.

Kagami went to jump but her feet refused to lift her and she only took a small step forward. Pain shot up both her legs. It took everything not to let out a yell.

“Kagami!” Hyuga called after her.

“That’s too bad.” Midorima said and then walked to Seirin’s basket.

“Damn it!” she cursed.

* * *

 

Kise was unable to believe that someone had stopped one of Midorima’s baskets. He was now able to believe what Kasamatsu said earlier. She really could have played on Teiko’s boys team. And she hadn’t blocked one, but two of his shots.

He was about to watch her block another. But Kagami didn’t jump. Instead she stumbled forward while Midorima threw the ball and scored another three.

“Hey what happened!” He nearly jumped up. That was not like Kagami at all.

“She jumped to much.” Kasamatsu said shaking his head slowly. “Her body probably isn’t strong enough for that yet. If she keeps it up, she’ll hurt herself.”

Seirin had the ball next. It was passed to Koganei, then Mitobe and then Kagami who stood under the net. She jumped weakly to dunk but Midorima hit the ball out of her hands. The buzzer went off signaling the end of the third quarter.

He watched Kagami struggle to walk to the bench. And he felt bad. Without her Seirin would be in trouble.

“It’s too bad.” Someone behind him said. “But she’s a girl, they just don’t have the strength and endurance that men have. This game was just too much for her.”

“Huh?” Kise started to turn around.

“Don’t listen to him.” Kasamatsu said. “It’s not worth getting worked up over.” He sighed. “She’s actually playing much harder than any of her teammates and they are all as exhausted as her.”

Kise looked at the other four that had just left the quart. All breathing and sweating. A few flopped down on the bench. Seirin barely had any players on the bench to sub in and most were first years that he hadn’t seen play.

“Don’t worry, she’s not done yet.” Kasamatsu said. “She’s not one to give up that easily.”

Kise eyed her and smiled as he watched her talk to Kuroko, a look of determination still in her eyes.

* * *

 

“Damn it!” Kagami cursed and took a big gulp of water. She over heard someone on Shutoku’s team say that, if she were a boy, that all the jumping wouldn’t have hurt her so much and it pissed her off. She doubted that he could jump half as high as her.

“Kagami don’t get so worked up.” Izuki said. “And don’t listen to that guy, we couldn’t do this without you.”

“I just need to score…” She said imagining herself having the ball running by everyone on Shutoku, ignoring all the pain in her feet and scoring enough points to win the game. That would shut everyone up…. “I can beat them.” She had to fight back the tears that were about to come to her eyes. It was all just so frustrating. And if she cried… well everyone would say that, as a girl, she just wasn’t emotionally strong enough.

“Kagami…” Kuroko spoke and grabbed her hand.

She eyed him. “Kuroko?”

“You can’t do it alone,” He said. “Basketball is a team sport.”

“What do you mean!” She snapped. “We have to win this game!”

He shook his head. “You want to defeat the generation of miracles… but you are thinking just like them.” Kuroko said. “You’ve already proven that you belong on this team and we do need you to win… but you’re going to need all of us to win.”

He stopped waiting for her to say something. But she remained quiet.

“Izuki is right. You shouldn’t get worked up about what someone on the other team said. The fact is, people are going to say those things about you no matter how well you play. And that guy hasn’t played a single second in this game he has no room to talk. You’ve been playing in the first quarter and I think you are the first person to block one of Midorima’s shots. That’s something that you should take pride in.”

It made her feel a little better. Kuroko always knew what to say. But it still bothered her that people would blame her limits on the fact that she was a girl. It didn’t matter if she pulled off physics defying moves or that she was going against one of the generation of miracles, anything that she failed would be blamed on her gender.  

And it only reminded her of the other girls that were watching and cheering for her. She scanned the stadium and located Shutoku and Kaijo’s girls’ team. She had to win for them and any other girl’s club whose school found their team not worthwhile.

“And we still have my pass.”

She eyed him. “Yeah why haven’t you done that yet?”

“Because of Takao… if we gave him enough time, he’d learn to stop it, but I think we can use it now and that it will stop him.”

She nodded. It was probably their last chance to win, their trump card.

“Kagami, how many more times do you think you can jump?” Riko asked.

She folded her arms. “I can jump for the rest of the game!” And she really felt like she could. A rush of energy had run through her when Kuroko brought up his ignite pass.

“Bakagami don’t try to be a hero! You’re going to destroy your legs if you keep doing that!”

Riko then looked her over. “Twice, you have two more jumps. Use the first to block’s Midorima’s first shot. The other team is aware that your legs are hurting so this will be a bluff. Use the next to block an important shot.”

She nodded.

* * *

 

The fourth quarter began. As predicted Shutoku gave the ball to Midorima. Kagami ran, jumped and blocked it. Her feet screamed as she landed but she gave no indication that she was hurt.

Midorima looked at her, surprised. “You can still jump?”

“Yeah I can.” She titled her head. Then she ran back to offense. Izuki had the ball and shot it putting their score back to a ten-point difference.

Now Kuroko just had to do his pass and she had to be ready for it. She ran to the basket. Kuroko ran from Takao, he followed but that was no longer a problem. Mitobe passed the ball to him. Takao ran to steal. Kuroko hit the ball first and the ball flew across the court.

“What was that!” Takao screeched.

Kagami caught it. It didn’t hurt as much as the first time. Then she jumped to score. Midorima had still been marking her and jumped to block. But she jumped higher and dunked the ball. It probably wasn’t the brightest idea to use her final jump at that point, but she felt as though she had to score.

She landed and her legs felt like they could crumble under her.

“You can catch that pass?” Midorima said blinking.

“Yeah it’s not hard.” She lied. Anything to take his focus off her legs and to give her a moment to stop and rest.

Kagami ran to Kuroko masking any pain she was in.

 _Push through it._ She told herself. _This will all be over soon._

“Kuroko…” She caught up to him and spoke in a quieter voice. “I’m afraid the coach is right, I can’t jump anymore… I’ll keep marking Midorima and maybe they won’t pass to him, but I’m leaving the rest to you.”

Kuroko nodded and smiled.

The ball was thrown back into play and she kept in front of Midorima. Kuroko stole the ball and passed to the upper classmen. First Hyuga scored and then shortly after, Mitobe scored with a hook shot.

Soon Seirin was only two points down. Hyuga went to score another three but Otsubo blocked his shot. Takao grabbed the ball from him and passed to Midorima. Kagami ran after him but she was too slow. He shot another basket putting Shutoku five points ahead.

He then gave Kagami a knowing look, like he knew she couldn’t jump anymore. She groaned and looked away from him.

But Seirin immediately countered. The upper classmen were fired up and determined to win. Izuki passed to Hyuga and Hyuga scored another three, putting the score back to a two-point difference.

There was less than a minute on the clock.

 _We’re going to do it._ Kagami thought. _We have to!_

Takao had the ball he was about to pass to Midorima but Kagami stepped in front of him. Takao hesitated, and Kuroko knocked the ball out of his hands towards Hyuga. Hyuga ran just behind the three point line and got ready to shoot but Otsobu jumped in front of him.

Kagami ran near him behind the three. There was fifteen seconds. She held up her hands intending for him to pass to her. But instead Hyuga jumped back and shot the ball. It went into the basket.

Kagami pumped her fist into the air and cheered. The upper classmen also let out a yell as did many people in the stands.

“We won!” Izuki cried out.

But then Takao grabbed the ball and threw it back into play to Midroima.

Kagami went cold inside and looked at the clock. Three seconds left. She forced every last bit on energy to run to Midroima as he was getting ready to shoot.

“It’s not over.” Midorima said once she reached him. “I’ll tell you why I was Teiko’s best shooter. It’s because I excelled at the buzzer beater.” He started to shoot.

Kagami pushed every last bit of strength into her legs to jump. They weren’t going to lose, not now, not at the last second. Her feet left the ground. But Midroima didn’t shoot.

“I knew it.” She said as she reached the top of her jump. “No matter how exhausted you were you were still going to make this jump.”

She wanted to scream. After all that they were still going to lose. Kagami was about to close her eyes not wanting to watch it happen. But then she saw Kuroko right behind him.

“Midorima-kun, I knew you’d do this.”

“Huh?” He said right before Kuroko hit the ball out of his and then the buzzer sounded.

Kagami landed, almost losing her balance. Her feet felt like they shattered. But the moment she realized that they had won all the pain vanished. Cheering erupted all around her.

“Kuroko!” She cried out and ran by a shocked Midorima. She threw her arms around pulling him into her and cried out a celebratory cheer not realizing about where his head was.

“Um Kagami…” He said with his face against her chest.

The upper classmen ran over and threw their arms around them. Mitobe had tears in his eyes as he threw his arms around herand that was the happiest she had ever seen Hyuga. Riko and everyone on the bench also ran over to celebrate.

Then they lined up thanking the ref for the game.

She shook Takao’s hand.

“So, we got beat by a girl.” Takao sighed and then smiled at her. “But I’ll admit, you were very good. It’s just going to take a while to get over this.”

“Well it was actually Kuroko who won that game…” Kagami started.

“We all did.” Kuroko added.

 Kagami continued. “But you also played very well. It was really a pain when Kuroko’s misdirection didn’t work on you.”

He laughed. “Yeah but we still lost.”

Then she went to shake Midorima’s hand. He didn’t look at her much the same way Kise had done after Kaijo had lost. Maybe she shouldn't have been smiling so much. "You're good," He finally said. "But we still should have won."

Then Otsubo shook her hand. “Well at least your cute.”

She blushed. And then suddenly became aware that she was covered in sweat and doubted she was as cute as he thought.

As they walked back to the locker room, Kagami felt her legs give out.

“Kagami!” Kuroko caught her before her knees hit the ground.

She had forgotten he was next to her and nearly took him down with her. But Hyuga caught up and grabbed her arm and put it around his shoulder.

“Seriously, you’re a little reckless with that jumping.” He said.

Kagami laughed. “But we would have lost otherwise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be shorter and will focus on the relationships. It will also be the restaurant where four characters sit together ;)
> 
> And as you may have noticed I changed Kuroko reaction when Kagami said that she'd win by herself. In the show/manga, Kuroko punches Kagami... yeah that would look bad if a high school boy punched a girl no matter how much tougher Kagami was than him. I hope everyone is okay with what I changed it too.


	7. Dinner for four

It was raining after the game. Midorima was more than relieved when he stepped outside. Tears were rolling down his face and he didn’t want the team to see. Sure, they may come out and look for him, but the rain washed the tear drops off his face.

It was the first time he had ever lost a basketball game and it hurt more than he could ever imagine. Yet despite it all… he was okay. Everything hadn’t crumbled around him and there would still be more games to play.

But his team should have won. They were clearly better than Seirin. Kagami was good, but even she and Kuroko working together shouldn’t have given Seirin the victory.

She had managed to block his shots. No one had ever done that. His shots were always perfect, he never attempted one that he wasn’t one hundred percent certain would go in the basket.

And she could jump so high… her body had been so close to his, any closer and she would have brushed up against him.

He felt his face get hot… just why would he think that?

Shaking it off, he though about her jump again. Kagami jumping, a little too forward and landing on him. He’d have to catch her so that she didn’t fall, his arms would wrap around her and…

Midroima buried his face in his hands angry that his mind went there. It was so… improper.

He tried again, intending to figure out how high he’d have to throw to avoid her block. Now he was holding her in his arms and she was blushing.

“Midorima?” Kagami spoke shyly. Her hand rested on the side of his face and the two kissed.

Midorima’s insides went cold and he stood there numb.

_Oh no._

His phone rang snapping him out of the fantasy. He pulled it out of his pocket, expecting it to be Takao, calling to find out where he was.

“Hello?”

“Midorima-kun did you really lose!” Momoi’s voice cried out into the phone. He pulled it away from his ear until she went quiet.

“Um… yes… Seirin won that game…” He said hating that those words had to come out of his mouth, especially since he suspected that someone else was nearby.

“Isn’t Kagami so cool!” She responded. “I bet she played a great game!”

“Um… yes she is good.” Midorima had not expected Momoi to mention her. But she had to have had data on her by now. Still it seemed odd that Momoi would praise her so much.

“Give me that!” He heard a familiar voice in the background say. “Hey Midorima,” Aomine’s voice spoke arrogant as ever. “So, you lost to a girl too?” He laughed. “Just how good is Kagami that both you and Kise lost. I mean Satsuki won’t stop talking about her.”

He frowned expecting no other response from Aomine. “If you face Seirin in the finals, I would be careful. And you know Kuroko is on her team… will you be okay with that?”

Aomine scoffed. “The past no longer matters, I don’t need Tetsu anymore.” He paused. “It doesn’t matter how well those two play together, because… the only one who can beat me is me.”

* * *

 

After playing the two kings, anyone on Seirin who played on the court, with the exception of Kuroko, could barely stand up. Kagami sat on the bench in the locker room, her legs killing her. She didn’t think she be able to walk home.

 _But it was so worth it._ She thought and smiled. _I beat another one of the generation of miracles._

Riko stood in front of the team. “How about we go to the nearest restaurant.” She suggested. “To celebrate our win!”

The team nodded in agreement.

“Will someone carry me?” Kagami said stretching her legs. “I don’t think I can stand up.”

Kuroko started to help her up but Hyuga walked over and pushed him away. “Do you really think you can carry her!” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and helped her stand. “Only because we never would have won without you… and you should probably take it easy the next few days.”

Kagami didn’t plan to get out of her bed the next day and she was going to soak in a warm bath for a few hours when she got home.

Mitobe walked over and grabbed her other arm. They both helped her walk out with Kuroko keeping near her. Luckily most people had left the gym and didn’t see. It was still embarrassing but much better than being left behind. She was also very hungry so if Hyuga had thrown her over his shoulder, she would have allowed it if it meant she got food.

A light rain fell outside. It was annoying at first but then Kagami found it refreshing as it helped cool her down.

The restaurant Riko had in mind was very close. Hyuga and Mitobe let her go at her request right outside the door. She steadied her self on her feet before walking inside.

The first thing everyone noticed was that Kise and Kasamatsu were sitting at a table with two empty seats. Kagami’s eyes went right to them and Kise turned around and gave her a big smile and waved.

Riko got the attention of one of the waiters. “Um we need a table for fifteen.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” He said and began seating the team at various tables putting her and Kuroko in the two empty seats at the table with Kise and Kasamatsu.

She sat and smiled awkwardly. Just what were the odds.

Kise looked at them both and batted his eyes. “So… do you two come her often.”

“Kise…” Kasamatsu said with his teeth pressed together.

Kise laughed. “Calm down senpai.” He focused back on her and Kuroko “I am glad that you two are sitting with us and don’t worry, I’ll pay for both of your meals.”

“Why are you treating this like you’re on a date with both of them!” Kasamatsu scolded.

“You really don’t have to.” Kagami said knowing how much she was planning to eat.  

“No it’s fine, I make enough money from modeling. And I want to treat my two close friends!”

“Um…” She hadn’t known Kise that well and hadn’t expected him to consider her one of his close friends… not this soon. But she let it go.

 Kagami shifted in her seat and felt pain shoot up her leg. She grimaced and grabbed it.

“Kagamicchi are you okay?” Kise stood up. Kasamatsu followed.

Kuroko gently touched her arm.

“I’m fine, my legs just hurt.” She said. “I jumped way too much.” She forced a laughed.

“Oh, is there anything I can do to help?” Kise asked his voice gentler.

“Not really, unless you know how to give a really good athlete’s massage…” She stopped remembering that she was talking to a hot model. “Um forget I said that.” She blushed.

“You know I-“ Kise began.

“Kise just stop!” Kasamatsu yelled, his face red. He sat back down and then he cleared his throat. “And I’ve been meaning to say this.” He looked at both her and Kuroko. “Kagami, Kuroko, you two played a really good game today. It makes me more excited to play Seirin again.”

She smiled, grateful that he had changed the subject.

“Yeah that was amazing!” Kise’s eyes lit up. “I’ve never seen anyone block Midorimacchi shots!”

The door to the restaurant opened and none other than Midorima and Takao walked inside. Midorima locked eyes on to her and then grabbed Takao and stepped out of the restaurant. The rain suddenly picked up and they walked back inside. Midorima adjusted his glasses and walked slowly, keeping his distance and obviously looking for a seat nowhere near them.

“Hey Kasamatsu!” Takao said walking over to their table. “I saw you in basketball monthly and I really respect you! Do you think we can sit over there and talk?” He pointed to the only other two empty seats.

“Uh sure.” Kasamatsu said standing up.

“Shin-chan, you sit here,” Takao pointed to the empty seat and then walked away with Kasamatsu with his hand over his mouth to suppress laughter.

Midorima reluctantly sat down across from Kagami and folded arms, saying nothing. The mood of the table was suddenly very cold.

“Um…” Kagami attempted to break the silence. “It was a good game.” She forced a smile and wondered why she had said that to someone that had lost to them.

“Mmmhmm.” Midorima wouldn’t even look at her.

“That table is ridiculous!” One of her teammates said, she thought it might have been Fukada.

She looked at Kuroko for help, but he seemed unaware of the tension at the table. Yet Kagami got the feeling he was enjoying having his two former teammates sitting with him.

“Come on Midorimacchi… you don’t have to be so cold. Yeah you lost but it’s not that bad… and we’re all going to lose to each other eventually… well I guess except one.”

“Mmmhmm.”

“Midorima-kun… is that really why you’re acting like this?” Kuroko spoke eying him.

Midorima’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth “Um… no…. I mean no I shouldn’t be sitting at my opponents table…” He looked over at Takao and gave him a death glare.

“Why don’t we order!” Kagami interrupted in an attempt to end the awkwardness. A waiter walked over and she picked up her menu. Just as Kise started to talk to Midorima she began to list off all the food that she wanted.

“Kagamicchi!”

“That’s too much food!” Midorima scolded.

“No Kagami will eat it all.” Kuroko assured.

“No way!” Kise exclaimed. “I never knew a girl could eat that much! This is really going to hurt my wallet.” He paused and closed his eyes. “If we ever do go on a date… I guess you’re not going to be cheap.”

“Probably not.” She said and then her stomach growled.

“Date?” Midorima looked at Kise. “You asked her out on a date?”

Kise laughed. “Yeah when I first met her. But she turned me down.”

“Don’t you have any respect? She’s your opponent. And I’ve never see you on a date with any of your fans.”

“I’m not really into those kinds of girls…” Kise shrugged.

“You better hope none of them are here and heard you.” Kagami said just above a whisper.

“And come on Midorimacchi, don’t you think she’s cute?”

Both Midorima and Kagami’s faces got red. She should have expected that Kise would say something like that. But why in front of Midorima… She looked down at the table, refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

Kise laughed. “Aren’t they funny Kurokocchi?”

“Um I guess.”

Their food arrived. Starving, Kagami started cooking hers.

“You lost to her, what are you doing asking her out on dates?” Midorima finally spoke.

“Yeah I lost, and after I’ve been practicing much harder.” Kise grinned and eyed her. “We’re going to have a revenge match and next time Kaijo will win.”

“Bring it on.” Kagami smiled and then bit into her food.

 “And you know,” Kise continued, ever since I’ve been practicing more, I’ve found that I really enjoy playing with my team. They’re really fun to be around.”

Midorima groaned. “I thought you had changed but I was wrong, you’ve just gone back to how you were before we won three championships.” He looked at Kise. “You’ll never win with that attitude.”

“What are you talking about.” Kagami said with a mouth full of food. “Basketball is something that you do because it’s fun. Otherwise what’s the point?”

“How can you tell us how we should feel.” Midorima glared at her but almost immediately broke eye contact. “There’s no point if you don’t win.”

“There will be other games.” She said. “You’re going to keep playing right.”

Midorima took pause. “Yes, and next time we will win.”

“But you had fun playing today, right Midorima-kun?” Kuroko spoke.

He didn’t respond. Instead an okonomiyaki flew across the room and landed on his head. Kagami did her best to suppress laughter but once Kise started laughing she couldn’t help it.

Midorima glared at Takao.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t know it would fly like that!”

Midorima walked slowly over to his table, grabbed him, and then dragged him outside. A few minutes later he returned and sat down with them again.

Once she and Kise stopped laughing she asked a question for both the miracles.

“So what can you tell me about Aomine? I mean we’re playing him soon and Momoi didn’t tell me too much about him. All I really know is that he was Teiko’s ace.”

Kuroko scrunched up a little in his seat. Kagami took notice.

“When did you meet Momocchi?”

“The other day at streetball court. We played together for a little bit.”

“Momocchi played basketball!” Kise looked at Midorima who didn’t react.

Kagami nodded.

“Aomine.” Midroima brought them back on topic. “He’s a player that is very similar to you. And it is true that he was Teiko’s ace.” He adjusted his glasses. “It will not be easy for you to win. His skill far exceeds yours.”

“I don’t like the way he plays.” Kuroko said in voice colder than Kagami had ever heard from him.

“Midorimacchi your food is burning!”

“Huh!”

He got the food off the burner but it was already charred.

“Here have one of mine.” Kagami passed one over.

He was reluctant to take it at first, and his body language suggested that doing to would be scandalous… but then he started to eat.

“This is cooked perfect.” He said between bites.

“Uh thank you.” It may have been the first compliment she had ever gotten from him… and it had to be about cooking.

She noticed that Kuroko had also been cooking for awhile and she took a look.

“Kuroko, you need to get that off the stove or yours will burn too. It’s done.”

“Um okay.” He said removing his food.

Kise stuck out his lower lip. “I wish Kagamicchi made my food.”

“You can have one of mine if you want.” She offered.

Kise shook his head. “I’m full and I’m a model, I can’t have that many carbs.”

“That sounds awful.” She said and took another bite of food.

As they ate, she mostly talked to Kise about random things. Midorima refused to make any eye contact with her but she had a feeling that he was listening in to their conversations. She finished her food and even ate some of Kuroko’s that he couldn’t finish.

“Well that was good.” She patted her stomach. Then she saw that Midorima had some on his plate that he wasn’t eating. “Um are you going to finish that.”

He frowned. “Yes I am, I was just thinking about something.”

“Alright.” Kagami said.

“I can’t believe you really ate that much... and you’re still hungry.” Kise said astonished. “You really will be an expensive date.”

“Yeah and you still want to go out sometime?” She almost cringed. Kagami hadn’t meant for it to sound like she was asking him out. Only if he’d want to date a girl that would have a huge food bill.

He grinned. “Yes of course! I’ll just make sure I save up.” He paused. “But I’m not going to ask you out again until I win our revenge match.”

Midorima groaned. And then the rain stopped. He stood up. “It’s getting late, I should go.” He went to pay for his food and then got Takao.

“Bye Kagami! And Kuroko.” Takao waved.

“Just remember,” Midorima looked at both her and Kuroko. “We’ll win next time.” He and Takao left the restaurant.

“Well he’s interesting.” Kagami said and folded her arms. She couldn’t tell whether or not Midorima liked her. On one hand, he was very cold, on the other she thought he may have been trying to give her advice about Aomine.

“Yeah…” Kise said. “Midorima has always been uptight. We never got along in middle school.”

“Did anyone get along with him?” Kagami asked.

“Um… Akashi I think.” Kise replied.

Kuroko got up to use the bathroom. Once he was out of hearing range, Kagami eyed Kise.

“So every time Aomine is brought up, Kuroko seems to get a little upset. What happened?”

Kise looked as though he didn’t want to answer at first but then sighed. “You know Kurokocchi was his shadow in middle school right?”

Kagami nodded.

“They were really good friends, they might have been better friends that me and Kurokocchi. But… after Aominecchi started to get really good at basketball and surpass everyone…  he and Kurokocchi had a fall out. He stopped receiving Kurokocchi’s passes and became really cold towards him… it was really hard on Kurokocchi…”

“I see.” Kagami said gripping the bottom of her jacket. “So now we really have to beat this guy.” She was already imagining herself playing at her top game against this guy and using Kuroko to pass, probably more than needed.

“Um… Aominecchi is very good… I’ve tried to copy his style but I haven’t been able to do it yet… actually I can’t copy any of the other generation of miracles… but I really can’t even describe how he plays. It’s really something else.”

“We’ll still win.” Kagami said.

Kuroko returned and everyone else on Seirin got up to leave. Kuroko kept himself close to her as she stood up. She struggled a little but her legs didn’t hurt as much as they did after the game.

“Alright as promised I’ll pay.” Kise said getting out his wallet.

“You really don’t have to.”

“No, I said I would.” He pulled out some money and looked as little worried as he started counting.

Kise handed the money to the waiter. “This is for them too.” He pointed to Kuroko and Kagami.

The waiter shook his head. “Hers has already been paid for.” He pointed to Kagami.

“Huh? By who!”

“The guy with the green hair and glasses.” The waiter replied.

“Midorimacchi! But why! Uh never mind, I’ll just pay for us then.” He put his arm around Kuroko.

Kagami groaned. Just why did Midorima feel the need to pay her bill? Especially when he would have known that Kise was paying. Now she was in debt to him.

* * *

 

Midorima sat in the cart as Takao peddled. Takao had wanted to flip a coin to see who gets to ride, but Midorima said no after that stunt he pulled in the restaurant.

“You should thank me you know.” Takao looked back at him smiling. “I made it so that you got to sit across from Kagami. It was kind of like you were on a date with her.”

“Do dates usually have four people” Midorima glared at him. He didn’t dare mention that he paid for her meal. “And I don’t like her… not that way.” He lowered his voice. “That was one of the most uncomfortable things I’ve ever done!”

Takao laughed. “Sure, you don’t.” He completely ignored his last statement. “I saw the look you gave her when she walked off the court at the end of the game.”

He kept his mouth shut. Truth was, he didn’t show it to anyone else but he was actually thrilled that he got to sit at the same table as Kagami. Unfortunately, it turned into a big disaster. He had no idea how to talk to her. Thinking back on the night he wanted to bury his face into his hands as he remembered how awkward he was and worse, he lectured her at one point.

Then there was Kise who could carry an entire conversation with her. As they ate they talked about basketball, Kagami’s middle school team and how she was much taller and stronger than all the other girls and how the game had gotten boring, famous basketball players that they liked, the time she lived in America, Kise told her a little about modeling. He wouldn’t be surprised he she did have feelings for him.

And then there was Kuroko, who said barely a word during dinner but did seem to be listening. The two were very comfortable next to each other even if they weren’t conversing.

Midorima remembered how her legs were hurt after that game and now he wished that he had waited a little longer and offered her a ride home. He’d probably also have to take along Kuroko and Kise because she probably wouldn’t want to leave them behind and giving three people a ride home would only make the trip longer and Takao would have been upset about the extra weight… but he would have done it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Midorima, you're the tsundere... so of course I'm going to be a little mean. ;)
> 
> I had fun writing this one. I'm not sure if I'll get the next out this quick. But it will be another shorter chapter.


	8. Studying and Aomine

Kagami was sitting at the table in her apartment with Riko and Kuroko. Notebooks and book were in front of them. Their school was having a review test, the bottom one hundred students would have to attend Saturday classes and then take another test. Saturday was the day they had basketball games and Kagami had completely bombed her practice tests.

She finished a math problem and then showed it to Riko.

Riko looked it over. “It’s wrong. Do you know what you’re supposed to do when there is a square root?”

Kagami groaned and shook her head. She hated math. There were too many rules and it never made any sense.

Kuroko finished his and passed it to Riko.

“Kuroko your got it right.”

Riko then walked through the steps with her, it made a little more sense, but Kagami still didn’t understand. Riko tried again and Kagami just stared blankly.

“We’ll just try another.” Riko said. “Number seventeen.” She pointed. “This one should be a little easier.”

Kagami looked at the problem and didn’t even know where to begin.

Riko sighed and started to work though the problem. Kagami covered her face with her hands.

“Why don’t we try another subject.” Riko said. She pulled out her world history notebook. “The only subject you did well in was English… but how did you not ace that?”

Kagami folded her arms. “Because no one actually talks the way they teach it.” The English that was taught in the classroom was very proper. It didn’t account for slang or regional dialects. If anyone in Las Angela’s had started speaking how her classroom taught, they would have gotten very funny looks.

“I was surprised that you were the one on the team to get the lowest scores.” Riko sighed. “I expected you to do better than the boys…”

Kagami scoffed. “And now you’re disappointed in me?”

“No!” Riko said quickly. “It’s just that we need you and Kuroko if we’re going to make it to the finals. You know I actually like having a girl on the team… especially one that is our ace.”

Knowing that her team was counting on her, studying for these tests suddenly became much more stressful. She laid her head on the table. “What the point even? I don’t need school, I’m going to play in the WNBA.”

Riko frowned. “If your grades don’t improve the school will make you take Saturday classes until they do. How are you going to get a scout to notice if you aren’t playing in any games!”

She sighed. Riko was right. Then she eyed Kuroko who was working on another math problem.

“Kuroko weren’t your scores fine?”

He nodded.

“Yes, they were average” Riko added. “But I don’t want him scoring low on the actual test.” Riko said. “We need him in the game too, so, I want him to review with us.”

Biology was much easier than math, there was just so much of it. She didn’t know how she was going to remember it al. After about thirty minutes, they closed the books for a break.

Kagami’s stomach growled. She stood up. “I’m going to make dinner.”

“For all of us?” Riko tilted her head.

“Yeah, consider it my way of thanking you.”

“Um do you want any help?” Riko asked.

Kagami stopped and went cold. “Um Hyuga told me about your cooking… just wait till it’s done, you can watch TV if you want.”

“What did Hyuga tell you!” Riko squeezed her pencil so tight it broke.

“That your cooking can kill.” She said. “Kuroko, will you help me chop some vegetables?”

“Sure.” He stood up and followed her.

“I can cut up food you know!” Riko yelled.

“Sorry. You’re not allowed near the kitchen.” She hurried Kuroko along.

She opened her refrigerator and pulled out some vegetables, then grabbed some utensils and had Kuroko get to work while she gathered the other ingredients. Cooking wasn’t her favorite thing to do but it was enough of an excuse to get away from anything school related. And she was in the mood for something home cooked.

“Kagami.” Kuroko said as he started to peel a carrot. “I have an idea for your test.”

“Hmm?” She was interested. Anything to help.

“I talked to Midorima last night and asked if he could help you study… but he’s too busy.”

She laughed as she reached for some spices. “You asked Midorima?” She imagined Midorima sitting at her table and helping her with homework, adjusting his glasses every time he had to explain something to her, getting frustrated when she got something wrong, and then making him dinner. Then nearly groaned when she realized that he was the kind of guy her father would want her to marry.

“He is really good at school. And even though he’s busy, he brought me one of his pencils earlier today… his lucky pencil.”

“Lucky pencil?” It was almost hard to imagine Midorima having something like that for a test, but then she remembered that he always had a lucky item and was really into horoscopes.

She took notice of how Kuroko was peeling the carrot.

“Hey you’re going to lose a finger if you do it like that!” She snatched it away from him and then peeled the rest of it by her self in under a minute. “Like that.” She presented it.

“I don’t think I can do it as fast as you.”

“It takes practice.” She sighed. “Alex always had me and Himuro peel her vegetables. We learned to do it real fast other wise it could have taken hours… but tell me more about this lucky pencil.” She wanted to laugh just saying that, but she was also desperate.

“It’s a Yushimatenjin pencil, he made it like a rolling dice.” Kuroko pulled the pencil out of his pocked. “You roll it, and what ever number comes up you put as the answer.”

“She’s not doing that!” Riko yelled.

“Um… is that a good idea?” Kagami asked.

“Midorima swears that it works.” He handed it to her and Kagami looked at it. It looked like any ordinary pencil.

“Does Midorima really want me to use it?” She raised her eye brow. “Really, I’m surprised you called him and not Kise for help… I don’t think Midorima likes me that much.” She suspected that to be part of the reason that he was “too busy”.

“If I called Kise you would have failed all your tests. And actually, Midorima, really likes you.”

“Huh?”

“He’s in love with you.”

“No way.” Kagami nearly burst out laughing. “You’re joking right?”

“At dinner he avoided eye contact with you, he looked mortified anytime you two spoke to each other, and he was annoyed when Kise was talking to you during dinner.” Kuroko smiled at her. “And I think he really did want to help you study, he was probably too nervous because he’d have to talk to you a lot.”

“Kuroko, I think you’re delusional.” There was no way she was Midorima’s type. He needed contacts she thought. The glasses covered up too much of his face. And he needed to smile more.

But then she remembered that he did pay for her dinner and she started to blush. Maybe she really did give him the wrong message when she accidently wrote her number down on his hand.

Dinner didn’t take long and soon the three of them were sitting together and eating. It was nice to have company. Kagami did get lonely living by herself.

“Kagami this is amazing!” Riko took another bite. “You know, if basketball doesn’t work out you could always be a chef.”

“No way.” Kagami shook her head. “I don’t want to spend all day in a hot kitchen, that sounds boring.”

“What would you do if basketball weren’t an option?” Riko asked. “And you can’t name another sport.”

Kagami leaned back. “I’ve honestly never really thought about it. Maybe a firefighter? Or a mountain climber… or work in search and rescue… or a gym teacher might be fun.”

“Okay… all of those except for the last one are dangerous, and some of those you will need college. I mean no one wants to hire a dumb teacher!”

“Huh? If I’m a gym teacher all I’m doing is teaching kids how to play sports. And I can do that.”

“You still need a college education.” Riko put her hand on her forehead. “Kuroko what would you want to do?”

He was quiet for a moment as if thinking. “I think I’d like to be a kindergarten teacher.”

Kagami smiled realizing that Kuroko would probably be good with kids. “Yeah that sounds like you.” She eyed Riko. “What about you?”

“Either an athletic trainer like my dad or a physiotherapist.” She said. “I get good grades so I think I can make it through college.”

“You practically already are one.” Kagami said.

After dinner they got back to studying. Kagami understood the material a little better, but it was still going to be a rough test.

* * *

 

The day of the test came. After hours spent studying with Riko and Kuroko, most of the tests weren’t too much trouble. Kagami was surprised at how many answers she knew. But then came Japanese language.

Her biggest problem was that she just didn’t know a lot of Kanji. Not wanting to fail the test and getting desparate, she took out Midroima’s pencil and rolled it. It may not have been the best idea, but it was all she had.

A few days later when she got the results, she nearly jumped for joy at her high score. She showed Kuroko grinning.

“Nice job Kagami.” He said.

“How did you do?”

He showed her his scores.

“Our scores are almost the same!” Kuroko had gotten only slightly higher.

 At practice she presented them to Riko. Riko threw her arms around her.

“How did you do that well! I thought you were going to fail Japanese language!”

“The pencil.” Kagami held it up.

“You mean it actually worked!” Riko let her go and looked at it wide eyed.

“So we can all play in the final round after all.” Hyuga said relieved.

* * *

 

Now that the review tests were done, the team got back to training… except for Kagami. Riko was making her rest to give more time for her legs to heal. They were doing an extra practice both Saturday and Sunday, and Riko had told Kagami not to come.

Kagami tried to sit around her apartment and relax, but not playing basketball was killing her. She would go on line and read about the NBA or WNBA, or she’d watch clips of games online to get in her fix… but it didn’t work. She just wanted to get out onto the court and play.

Knowing full well that Riko would kill her if she found out, Kagami grabbed her basketball and went to the nearest outdoor court. What harm could shooting a few threes do?

The pain in her legs wasn’t as bad as it had been after they had played Shutoku. They probably wouldn’t hurt too much if she were to play an actual game. She could push through it.

She shot her first three and the basketball went in the hoop. Her second one… not so much. She was no where near as accurate as Hyuga. It was tempting to grab the ball and dunk, but she really didn’t want to injure herself.

She shot another three.

“Hey… you’re Kagami Taiga right?” An unfamiliar voice called out to her.

She turned around and saw a guy taller than her with dark blue hair and a very smug smile walking onto the court.

“Yeah…” She frowned. “Who are you want what do you want?” She eyed her surroundings making sure that there were others nearby. A group of people were playing a game in the court across from hers. She had met them once.

“He held up his hands and laughed. “There’s no need for that. Satsuki said that you would be here.”

It took her a moment to remember that Satsuki was Momoi’s first name.

He walked over and stood in front of her. His well-toned arms immediately got her attention, not to mention those dark blue eyes.

“You beat both Kise and Midorima, so you must be something special. I figured that I should meet you.”

She frowned. “Aomine?”

He nodded grinning.

She looked away from him. Just why did all of Kuroko’s friends from middle school have to be so hot? And she still had two more to meet.

Then she recalled what Kise had told her and him and how Kuroko would react every time he was mentioned.

Kagami scoffed and turned around. She grabbed her basketball and shot another three. Anything to give him a little bit of a taste of his own medicine. Pain shot up her legs and the ball bounced off the backboard. She groaned. That just had to happen in front of Teiko’s ace.

She walked to retrieve the ball but Aomine got it first.

“Hey what was with that look?” He asked stepping in front of her.

She avoided eye contact. “Every time I’ve met someone from the generation of miracles, they’ve been really annoying, and you’re already pissing me off.”

“Huh? And what exactly did I do?” He tilted his head.

“First, you show up unannounced… and I’ve heard a lot about you.” She glared at him. “I’m sorry but you sound like a real asshole.” She held out her hands hoping he would give the ball back to her.

He laughed. “So you’ve heard a lot about me from Tetsu? You really can’t understand what-“

“No not from him… someone else.” She said not wanting to give away who. “It doesn’t matter, I’ve heard enough.” She glared at him again, but he seemed unfazed. “So, what do you want?” Now Kagami was angry at herself for wanting to keep talking to him. But she couldn’t help herself.

“I want to play basketball.” He said. “I need to know why Tetsu chose you to be his new light.”

“And why do you care? You’re the one that threw him away.”

“I just need to know.” He said ignoring the last part of her statement. “Tetsu wouldn’t choose anyone to be his new light, and you’ve already won against Kise and Midorima. So,” He held the basketball in front of him. “I want to see if you can entertain me.” He suddenly realized how he had worded that. “And I mean in basketball… I’m sorry but you’re not my type.”

“Good.” Though if she were being honest, she was both relieved and annoyed by that comment. Part of her wanted to pull him in and do things to him that would make him think that she absolutely was his type, but the more rational part of her saw him as a jerk and not someone she’s want around.

“So, come on let’s play.” He started dribbling.

Kagami wanted to play but her legs kept giving her a reminder that they were injured. And if she hurt herself before the next game…

“I don’t know… I’m supposed to rest my legs… and we’re going to play each other in the final league.”

Aomine grinned at her. “Are you scared you won’t win?”

That did it. “Okay let’s go.”

* * *

 

Kuroko sat next to Momoi after Seirin finished their training for that day. He hadn’t seen her since graduating from middle school and he had missed her, especially since she was the only one of their friends that stayed by him in their third year.

When she arrived, Momoi had asked him where Kagami was and Kuroko explained that she had hurt her legs and needed to rest them. Momoi had known that Kagami had injured her legs, but, despite her network, hadn’t known that they were still hurt. She seemed a little disappointed but was still happy that at least he was there.

“I watched a video of your game against Shutoku. That was a really great game… I’m sad I missed it.” Momoi spoke. “And Kagami-chan, she’s so much like how Dai-chan was in middle school! She had so much fun playing the game.” Momoi blushed and stared off in the distance.

“Um…”

“Don’t worry Tetsu-kun I still like you the best!” She said quickly and then threw her arms around him.

The rest of the team was nearby and most were now glaring at Kuroko.

“Hey what’s that all about?” Riko asked coldly.

“I’m going to kill Kagami too!” Hyuga yelled and the rest of the guys seemed to agree.

“You’re right,” Kuroko ignored the others. “She is a lot like how Aomine used to be.” If they had known each other in middle school or even before, they probably would have been very good friends.

He could imagine them playing one on one, and if Kagami had been on their team in middle school… they would probably have played very well together. Now he imagined himself having two lights while winning three national championships. But then he hated to think of what could have happened to Kagami had she been with them. She may have become cold, arrogant, and disillusioned like the others.

Or maybe her skills would have improved at the same rate as Aomines… and maybe he’d have an opponent that could play as well as him and even beat him. Maybe she would have snapped the others out of that thinking they had all fallen into. Would she have been blocking Midorima shots in middle school? Would she have kept Kise grounded? Could she have scored against Murasakibara? Stop whatever it was that happened to Akashi? That last one he didn’t know if anyone could have stopped.

Or would she have just become like the others? Thinking about the two possibilities hurt his head.

“I want to see Aomine play like that again.” Kuroko said. “I know he’s strong… but if we could just win…”

“Kuroko… do you really think you could?”

“Not just me… that’s not how I play. If Seirin could just beat Touou…”

Momoi nodded then wrapped her arms around herself. “Um… do you like Kagami-chan?”

He looked at her, knowing what she meant. “Yes, she’s a great friend.”

“Because she’s like Dai-chan from middle school?”

“No, there’s more reasons than that.” That was what initially drew him to Kagami. Someone who loved basketball and wanted to be the best. She and Aomine were both loud and aggressive and a bit dim about things sometimes…. But while they had so many similarities they were also very different. Despite her attitude and play style, Kagami was a lot gentler than Aomine. She was also able to read other people far better than he ever could and seemed to know how to respond. She also didn’t have that discomfort about comforting guys. Maybe that’s why the thought occurred to him that she may have been able to help his friends during middle school.

* * *

 

Kagami nearly fell to her knees after that game. Aomine had completely destroyed her, she hadn’t scored a single point. She understood his style immediately and knew she was in trouble. Street ball.

Back in America, she knew so many people that excelled at it and she could never keep up with them. It was the same with Aomine. She couldn’t follow his moves and she had almost fallen over a few times.

And worse, whenever she had the ball he would easily knock it out of her hands and go to score. Her feet hurt the whole game but she’d never use that as an excuse for why she lost. Even if she weren’t injured, she still wouldn’t have beaten Aomine.

“Midorima really lost to you?” Aomine frowned. He held the ball in his hands. “No… if Tetsu wasn’t there you never would have won.”

She wanted to smack him and then herself for agreeing to that game. Kagami had never felt so awful after losing a one on one. It was all because of who it was that she lost to.

“I’ll win at the final league.” She said coldly, although she wasn’t so sure now.

He smirked. “If you’re the best Seirin has to offer, I don’t think so.” He tossed the basketball back to her and started to walk away but stopped and looked back at her. “I’ve never met a girl as good as you… but still, your light is too dim. You’re going to lose again, because the only one who can beat me… is me.”

* * *

 

Aomine arrived home that evening. Momoi was there waiting for him as he figured she would be. She was thrilled when he told her that he wanted to go meet Kagami and she had asked him every day that week when he was finally going to see her. Now he could tell her that they had finally met. He hadn’t told her that he was planning to do it that day knowing that she would follow him. He wanted to meet her on his own.

“Dai-chan where were you?” She asked.

“I went to meet Kagami.” He grinned waiting for her reaction.

Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. “And you didn’t tell me!... what did you think of her?”

Aomine shrugged, “I saw her at the basketball court, we played a one on one, she wasn’t anything special.”

He did his best to hide his real feelings, the ones Momoi was probably interested in. When he had seen Kagami up close, he had to admit, she really did have a cute face. Her boobs might not have been that big, but the tank top she wore showed that they fit her body type nice enough. Her arms were well tones and those legs… he could think about those all day.

As he talked to her, there were a few times that he just wanted to wrap his arms around her and start making out. She may not be his type, but they could have some fun for a few hours. Her back talking and coldness towards him only made him want her more.

The fact that Kagami could barely keep up with him during their street game was disappointing, he really had been expecting more from her. But there was a look in her eyes as she played… it hurt to see it because it was something he wanted to feel again. Infact he had wanted her to be able to play on his level, and maybe even win some games against him… he no longer cared if it was a girl that would be the one to win… and… he may prefer it that way.

“Dai-chan!” Momoi snapped him out of his thoughts. “Kagami’s legs are still hurt! She wasn’t supposed to be playing basketball!”

“Huh? She didn’t say anything about that!” Although he did remember her telling him that she was supposed to rest her legs. But then what was she doing playing basketball? But he did feel bad. Maybe he shouldn’t have provoked her into playing against him.

“It doesn’t matter you should have noticed!”

“She was playing basketball before I arrived! How was I supposed to know! And she still would have lost even if she wasn’t hurt!”

Kagami hadn’t given him any indication that she was in pain… and he knew why. She was too proud to do that. She could have been bleeding out and she still would have played her hardest against him.

Maybe she would be much better once her legs healed.

_Don’t disappoint me next time Kagami._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I had to write her meeting with Aomine a few times because my first attempts... he came across as too aggressive and a little creepy... A lot of his interactions with canon Kagami just don't work with Fem Kagami. (I suspect this will be the same with Akashi.) 
> 
> I'm careful with the way I write Kagami and Kuroko's interactions. I do ship fem!Kagami and canon Kagami with everyone in the GOM (including Kuroko and Momoi) (And I ship Kuroko with everyone in the GOM) But I'd feel really bad if Kuroko did have feelings for her and she chose one of them over him. So I try to write them where they can be taken as platonic or romantic. I do play to write some short shipping fics with different Kagami ships. (Basically, I'm a multishipper, I'll put this fic into a series and write separate fics for it that will not be included in these chapters, so you can basically read femKagami with whoever. It's seriously fun to explore her romantic dynamic with all of them. I'll even have some polyships. lol why choose Kagami when you can have all the GOM!) I probably even do some characters outside the GOM like Riko, Takao, Kiyoshi ect... It will be awhile before I get to these.
> 
> Also... if you're wondering about Kuroko's thoughts, I did have a Teiko AU in mind. It might be a two or three shot we'll see if I ever get around to it.
> 
> Anyway, I'll leave you with this, and I'll write more of these. I'll tell you what I like about each Kagami ship, only one for each chapter.
> 
> Kagami x Kuroko
> 
> Their biggest shipper: The GOM and Seirin's team. The GOM are happy that Kuroko found someone like Kagami, and they're just happy that Kagami has someone that will treat her well. Seirin, after watching them over three years, is just happy that it finally happened.
> 
> When does it happen: Third year after the last game they play together. Kuroko has had feelings for her for a while but respects that she doesn't want to date teammates so he doesn't push anything. Kagami starts falling for him but is firm about not wanting to date her teammate. Then after their final game, well they're no longer teammates.
> 
> What I like about them: Okay if you give me a ship where the woman is taller than the men, especially a significant height difference. I'm going to ship the hell out of that. Like I watched Legend of Korra and there is a villain couple where the woman is much taller than the man, and they barely have screen time together and the woman barely has any development, but I love them so much based on aesthetics alone. So yes I would love these two. But I also think they would be very sweet together. Kagami would be over protective of Kuroko and she'd be over protetive of him. Kuroko wouldn't mind that his girlfriend is tougher than him and he'd be very gentle and caring towards her. (Because after basketball Kagami is going to have a job where she gets injured quite often. And while Kagami is tough, she's a caring person too and she'd never emasculate Kuroko. She can kind of get him... because she's been told that she'd never be as good as the boys and most people do not expect him to be a good basketball player. So yes, I do love these two (You'll see me say that for a lot of these ships)
> 
> If not each other: Well I ship Kuroko with all the GOM so... but my favorite Kuroko ships are Akakuro, Kikuro, Momokuro, and Aokuro if I'm in the mood for the angst.


	9. Teenage boys and girls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally going to go in the same chapter preceding the Touou game. But, the games take longer to write so I figured I'd give you this early. It's seriously just short chapter of teenagers being immature. A little from Kagami, a lot of Touou's team.
> 
> BTW, I found out that I have no idea how to write Imayoshi.

Her feet were hurting that day at school. Playing soccer in gym only made the pain worse. Kagami was descent enough at the game but it was almost unbearable with sore feet and legs. She’d have to ask Riko about getting a note excusing her from gym for the rest of the week.

After school, she sat on the sidelines watching her team practice. It hurt not being able to be out there on the court with them, but that one on one with Aomine over the weekend was what finally convinced her she needed really needed to rest.

When practice ended, she left the school with Kuroko. Kagami didn’t even have to attend practice but she had wanted to talk to him. And she needed to do it where anyone who knew she wasn’t supposed to play basketball would over hear.

“I met Aomine Saturday.” She said casually as they were walking home.

Kuroko’s eyes widened. “Aomine? Where? And how?”

“Well…” she laughed nervously. “I was practicing three pointers at the court near my house… and he just showed up. He said he wanted to meet me.”

Kuroko looked at her both concerned and disappointed. “You were not supposed to play basketball.”

She sighed. “I know but I promise it was only there to shoot three pointers.” She looked away from him knowing that wasn’t completely true. It would have been if Aomine hadn’t showed up.

“Anyway,” She continued. “I don’t like him.” She folded her arms remembering his smugness and that damn game they played.

“What did he do?”

“He’s just…” She couldn’t think of any good words to describe the guy. “He’s an asshole! I thought Midorima was bad… but I’ve never met anyone as arrogant as that guy. And I uh… asked Kise about him and he told me a little bit about what happened in middle school.”

Kuroko stopped walking. “What did he tell you?”

“Nothing much.” Kagami assured. She had felt bad about going behind his back and asking about this. “Just that you two were friends, and I figured that you were because you were his shadow,” Although she had to admit, after meeting him, it was hard imagining Aomine becoming friends with someone like Kuroko. “And that he started to get really good at basketball and got cold towards you and the others… Um… yeah I didn’t like him even before we met.”

Kuroko shrunk up.

She sighed and put her hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay and I’m sorry I asked about this behind your back. But screw him, I mean the guy said, “the only one who can beat me is me.” I mean, what the hell!” She frowned. Now she was just ranting and from what she understood, guys didn’t bitch about their ex friends like this.

She took a deep breath. “Anyway, we’ll win on Saturday and wipe that smirk off his face.” Kagami just wanted to see him lose. To look in horror as Seirin had the higher score at the end of the game. Maybe it would be made worse by the fact that she was a girl. Not that she liked using the fact that she was a woman to put someone down after winning, but he was likely one of those guys that thought her being a girl made her a much weaker player.

“Do you think you can?” Kuroko seemed to brighten.

Kagami was about to say yes but then was reminded of his play. “We played a one on one Saturday… and he completely destroyed me… but maybe I can with you.” She smiled at him.

“Kagami, I thought you said you were only shooting three pointers… are your legs okay?” Kuroko looked at them as she took another step.

“Um….” She stopped walking and suddenly became aware of the pain. “Yeah they’re fine…” She lied laughing nervously. “And they’ll be better on Saturday.”

Kuroko raised an eye brow at her. “You should rest.”

* * *

 

Aomine entered the gym. It was the first time he had ever gone there during practice, but he was in a rare mood to see the rest of his team.

He entered to see everyone laying or sitting on the ground, some on their cell phones, some looking like they were about to fall asleep.

Wakamatsu looked over and once he saw that Aomine was in the gym, he sat up. “Aomine… you came to practice?”

Aomine smirked. “Yeah and if you told me that all you do is lay around for hours I would have come to all of them.”

“We’re just on a break!” Wakamatsu yelled. He was always quick to anger.

“Calm down.” Imayoshi looked up from his phone.  “Aomine are you here because the final league starts this Saturday?”

“No, I’m not worried about that.” He nearly laughed. “The hardest game will be against Seirin… and I met their so-called ace… Kagami… yeah, we have nothing to worry about.”

 “You mean the girl!” Sakurai’s eyes widened.

“Yes… the girl.” Aomine grinned.

“Is she hot?” Imayoshi asked giving a creepy face.

Aomine frowned but then shrugged to hide his annoyance. “She’s alright.” And then to lead the conversation elsewhere. “I played her in a one on one, and yeah, she won’t be a problem for us.”

“Did you two fuck after?” A guy who’s name he didn’t know asked.

Aomine broke eye contact with everyone and, to hide his discomfort, forced himself to laugh. “No way, she’s not my type.”

“If the girl is offering, it doesn’t matter whether or not she’s your type.” The guy grinned. “You’d have to be dumb to pass up that opportunity.”

He folded his arms. “If I really wanted to get laid I could easily find another girl.” If Kagami had asked, he would have taken her up on the offer, she looked good enough to screw. But he knew that if he had suggested it, she would have turned him down, and he wasn’t going to let the guys know that.

“If you don’t want her,” Imayoshi smirked. “Maybe I’ll ask her out after we win.”

Aomine shook his head. “No way… you’d never be able to handle her. She much stronger and far more aggressive than you.” He wanted this stupid conversation to be over. The thought of his captain’s hands all over Kagami made him feel sick.

“I don’t know.” Imayoshi grinned. “I think I’d like a girl that could hold me down-“

“Ew that’s gross!” Momoi’s voice startled everyone. She entered the gym holding her notebook. “Imayoshi-senpai stay away from Kagami-chan!”

“Yeah… you’re kind of being creepy.” Wakamatsu narrowed his eyes. “And I mean more than usual.”

“Well that’s mean.” Imayoshi fake pouted.

Wakamatsu sighed “Momoi do you have any data on this girl.” He walked over to her.

Momoi opened up her notebook.

Aomine glared at him. “I already told you that we have nothing to worry about.”

“You’ve only played a one on one with her!” Wakamatsu yelled. “And ofcourse she’d be no problem for you! But the truth is, she’s beat two teams with one of the generation of miracles and I’m not about to take her lightly.” He looked over Momoi’s shoulder and started reading but then frowned.

“Um… Momoi… why do you have her measurements… what do you need those for! And her Magi burger order?”

Momoi’s face got red and she pressed the notebook against her chest. “Wait! Not this page! And I… I need those to analyze her!”

The other guys on the team walked over to read the notes.

“Analyze what! You’ve never written down any guys measurements! And you also know where she practices basketball on the weekends… Are you stalking her!”

“It’s her job to stalk people.” Imayoshi said. “Let me see those notes.” He reached for the notebook.

“Wait!” Momoi turned so the guys couldn’t read the information and then flipped the page.

Aomine casually walked over behind the others to get a glimpse of her notes. “If you think Kagami’s page is bad, you should look at Tetsu’s.” He laughed knowing that Momoi had pages and pages waxing poetic about Kuroko. It made him nauseous that think about the stuff she had written.

Momoi held out her notes, presenting Kagami’s data.

“You found out where she attended middle school?” one of the guy’s said.

“Yeah one of the girls from her old team play’s on our girls’ team.” Momoi smiled. “And she told me so much stuff about her!”

“She lived in America!” Another read off her notes.

“She can lift that much!” Sakurai exclaimed. “Uh… sorry.” He said once he realized how loud he had been.

Aomine quickly scanned the page until he found what Sakurai was looking at. He nearly gasped. It was almost as much as he could lift. He also couldn’t help but notice the hearts drawn around the number.

“And she can dunk! A girl can dunk?”

“Is she some kind of monster!”

“Kagami-chan is not a monster!” Momoi spat. And then her face softened and she closed her eyes. “She’s so sweet and nice! I wish she and Tetsu-kun went to our school.”

Aomine groaned. _Seriously Satsuki what is with you?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As of right now, Aomine's feelings towards Kagami are only lustful. I take a different approach to him than most. I don't think he has as much experience sexually as most thing. Like most if not all comes from porn but he'd totally give the impression to others that he's been around. But he's only 15/16 so understandable (although sometimes it feels like these characters are in their twenties). 
> 
> I have a rough draft of Touou written and I do have an exam next week. I may or may not have it out next week, or if I get the time this weekend.
> 
>  
> 
> So next for Kagami ship:
> 
> Kagami x Kise
> 
> Their biggest shipper: Kasamatsu. He's just happy that Kise finally got laid.
> 
> When do they become a couple: Officially, second year. There may be some dates before hand. But second year after Kise keeps making visits to Seirin high. Riko eventually has Kaijo's coach's number saved into her phone. 
> 
> What I like about them: First, I like Kise actually winning something, not that Kagami is a prize. But it seems like he can't win to Aomine, he was considered the weakest of the GOM... and he could just never win against Seirin even after perfect copy. But other than that, again I like that there's some gender role reversal. Kagami is the tougher of the two, Kise is the one that is concerned about his looks, and I'd say he's more feminine but Kagami has some feminine aspects to her. I always head canoned that Kise was attracted to tomboyish girls and Kagami fits that. I'm writing him as bisexual and my headcanon that his type is more masculine people (athletes, toned muscles, like that) with Kuroko being an anomaly. Other than that, I'm a huge fan of Canon Kagami x Kise. Like it's one of my favorite ships. Kise was the first to recognize Kagami's special talent, they play against the bullies, Kise watches all of Seirin's games, during the Yosen game he gives Kagami advice, Kise running to confront Haizaki right while Kagami is dealing with him, Kagami looking worried that he might not get to play Kise in the semi finals... the fact that through the entire series they want to play each other in a real game... yeah I love those two. I do need to write more of them together in this fic, and do have something planned after Touou.
> 
> If not each other: I'm also a big Kikuro shipper. (And Kikagakuro like why is that not more popular!) So I'd put Kise with Kuroko... but I do ship Kuroko with all the GOM so there may be some conflict lol.


	10. Seirin vs Touou

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I managed to get this one finished. So here you go.

Midorima donned a pair of sunglasses before walking into the stadium. He held a box with a smiley face on a spring, Cancer’s lucky item for that day. His team would be there watching the final round for the district and he had insisted that he would not go. Not after Takao said, in front of the entire team, that he’d get to watch his girlfriend play. But even if Takao hadn’t said it, he still would have said he that he wasn’t going.

 But in the end, he was curious to see how Seirin would do against Touou. Not only was Aomine considered the ace of the generation of miracles, but he was once Kuroko’s light. He was concerned for Kuroko, knowing how close the two were in middle school and how their friendship ended.

And he wanted Seirin to win. Aomine needed to be knocked down a peg. But he wasn’t sure if Kagami, even with Kuroko, could do it. She was good, but Aomine was something else.

“Hey Shin-chan!” A voice called out to him.

He froze and peered out the corner of his eye to see Takao standing among the crowd.

“Come on, you didn’t think those sunglasses were a good disguise?”

Midorima didn’t respond. He continued to walk, hoping that maybe Takao would think that he had made a mistake.

He kept as far away from Shutoku as possible and found a spot to stand near an exit. The two teams were already warming up. He frowned when he didn’t see Aomine among Touou. But, knowing his attitude, it didn’t surprise him.

“Midorimacchi?”

Midroima grabbed the rail in front of him and kept facing forward, hoping again that if he ignored him, Kise would assume, like Takao, that he had the wrong person. But Kise walked up next to him.

“Midorimacchi? I didn’t think you would be here.”

  He sighed realizing Takao was right. His disguise wasn’t going to work.

“I was walking in the area so I stopped by.”

“Why were you walking around here?”

“I was on my way home.”

“Your house is nowhere near here!” Kise then eyed the white box he carried. “And what is that thing?”

“My lucky item.” Kise should have known.

Kise sighed and eyed the court.

“Hey, there’s Kurokocchi and Kagamicchi!” He smiled and pointed. Kise was quiet for a moment as she watched the two.

 “Do you think Seirin can win?” He finally asked.

Midorima shrugged. “I don’t know. Aomine isn’t here yet… but even without him.. Touou is a strong team and they have Momoi. She’s the real danger.”

He located Momoi on the bench, her notebook opened and in her lap. Just how much information did she have on Kagami already?

* * *

 

Kagami shot a layup and then looked over at Touou’s team, for what seemed like the hundredth time since the warm up started. She had been trying to find Aomine, but he still wasn’t on the court.

This time when she looked, three of Touou’s players took notice and walked over to her. She stood guarded, wandering what they wanted. But only one of them seemed like he wanted to talk to her, a guy with glasses that made her very uneasy. A taller one hung back and looked as though he didn’t want to be there while a shorter one stood near the glasses guy with his shoulders slumped forward and refused eye contact.

“We noticed that you kept looking at us.” The one with glasses grinned. “So we thought we’d come say hi.”

“Where’s Aomine?” She asked. Kuroko saw what was happening and walked up next to her.

“He’s going to be late, he’ll be here by the second half.” Glasses said. “Don’t worry, you’ll get your chance to play against him.”

“What?” Kagami tilted her head, not understanding why the team would allow that. In America and even at her middle school in Japan, she would have had to sit the bench if she were late.

“I can’t believe you’re okay with that Imayoshi! He shouldn’t be allowed to play!” The tall guy said unknowingly agreeing with Kagami.

Imayoshi smirked and looked back at his two teammates. “Aomine is our best player. And I’m not mad about him for being late for this game. He said we didn’t have to worry about Seirin.”

Kagami scoffed and eyed Kuroko who’s usually blank face showed very slight anger.  But what really made her angry was that if Aomine said that Seirin would be an easy game, he likely told them everything about that one on one that they played. Fine if they wanted to rely on him to win, she and her team would just score as many points as possible before he arrived.

As if he read her mind, Imayoshi focused his attention back on her. “Don’t think this game will be easy because Aomine is not here, the rest of us are just the opening act. And we won’t go easy on you because you are a girl.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to.” Kagami rolled her eyes.

Imayoshi remained quiet and looked her up and down.

She took a step back. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing…” He grinned. “Aomine was wrong, you are pretty cute.”

“What!”

Kuroko stepped forward and, in a voice, colder than Kagami had ever heard from him, he spoke. “Go back to your team, we’re still warming up.”

“Huh?” Imayoshi looked at him. “What! How long have you been there!” The other two looked just as surprised.

“I said go back to your team.”

Kagami got one look into Kuroko’s eyes and nearly took another step back. They were narrowed and intense, as if he were ready to kill someone.

“Hey!” Momoi ran out onto the court. She stopped between Imayoshi and his other two teammates. “Go back and warm up! And leave Kagami alone!”

Imayoshi laughed and started to walk away. “We were just being polite and saying hi to her.” The other two followed, relieved that the meeting was over.

“I’m sorry!” the smallest of the three quickly turned around and then ran to catch up to the other two.

Momoi turned to Kagami. “Sorry about those guys… they can be real idiots.” She sighed. “I just called Daiki… he overslept… but he’ll be here!”

“He overslept?” Kagami frowned. “Doesn’t he take this seriously?”

Momoi eyed the floor. “Um… no he doesn’t….” She stopped as if trying to figure out more to say. “But good luck!” She looked up and forced a smile.

Momoi walked back to the bench.

Kagami looked back at Kuroko. “If he wants to be late, we’ll just get a huge lead before he arrives.”

Kuroko nodded.

 It still pissed her off. Would he arrive late for a game against the other generation of miracles?

* * *

 

The game was about to begin. Kagami stood across from the center, the tall one who seemed embarrassed by Imayoshi earlier, and who’s name she learned from her upper classmen was Wakamatsu. The other one, a first year, was named Sakurai. Based on that brief meeting, she didn’t mind him. He wasn’t obnoxious like Imayoshi.

The ref tossed the ball up. She jumped but Wakamatsu got to it first and hit it to Imayoshi. He ran and passed to Sakurai before Mitobe could block him.

Kagami froze for a moment, not expecting to be that fast. But then she ran at full speed to Sakurai, not wanting to let him score. She nearly reached him before he jumped, shot and scored a three pointer.

“I’m sorry!” he said after the ball went into the net.

Kagami blinked. The guy just apologized for shooting a basket.

Imayoshi walked by her. “Sorry but I told you, we’re just the opening act.”

Kagami glared at him as he walked of.

* * *

 

Momoi watched the game, focusing on Kagami because… well, she kept losing track of Kuroko. It was the first time she had seen Kagami play in a game and watching her play against the boys was really exciting. She had never seen a girl so fast, and strong and aggressive, and she looked like she belonged out there with them.

Through her research, she had found out that Kagami had unintentionally injured three players in middle school and after the third, she started to hold back during games. Putting her against the boys may have been for the best. Momoi couldn’t wait to see her play against Murasakibara.

Momoi flipped through her notebook. As much as she admired Kagami, she wasn’t going to go easy on her, after all, she was playing this game too.

Kagami had the ball and was about to shoot a three.

“Sorry Kagami-chan, I know exactly what you are going to do.”

Kagami threw the ball and then ran by the guy who was blocking her. She jumped to catch the ball, but Imayoshi got there first and knocked it away from her.

Momoi sighed and smiled. “You may be a girl but you think a lot like a boy, and boys are so predictable. And I’m a little sad about that because I do want to see you win.”

She eyed Kagami’s legs. “And I suspect those are still hurting… because I know you were playing basketball when you shouldn’t have been. If I were your coach… or your manager I would have been very mad.” She giggled, a little louder than intended because and the coach looked at her. “Maybe you’ll let me tape those up after the game.”

The rest of Seirin also struggled. Hyuga’s three was easily blocked, and so was Mitobe’s hook shot. Kagami then had the ball. Sakurai when to mark her but Kuroko blocked him with a screen. Kagami shot a three.

Momoi smiled. Kuroko was always unpredictable. That was what she liked about him.

* * *

 

Kise watched Touou’s center block another one of Kagami’s dunks, almost as if he had expected it. It was like it was back in middle school, when they knew everything their opponents were likely to do.

“You were right about Momoi.” He said. “She even had information on Kagami. But…” He watched Kuroko pass to Hyuga followed by Touou being surprised he had been there to get that pass. “But I don’t think she can predict Kurokocchi.”

Midorima shook his head. “No, not him.” He stayed focused on the game. “This isn’t going as bad as it culd have. Even with Momoi’s information, there is still only a seven-point difference.”

Hyuga missed the basket after having his shot messed up by Imayoshi, but Kuroko managed to hit the rebound to Kagami. She quickly shot the ball and scored a three.

“But now there is another problem.” Midorima said.

“Huh?” Kise looked at him.

“Her legs are still hurt…”

Kise watched Kagami. She walked to Kuroko and gave him a fist bump and stumbled on her on her last step.

“If that becomes too much of a problem,” Midorima paused. “Seirin can’t win without her and Kuroko.”

He knew Midorima was right. Kagami was their best player and if she was hoping to beat Aomine, she would need Kuroko. Kise wanted to see Aomine lose, not out of maliciousness but to help him enjoy the game again. And losing to Kuroko would be the best for him.

* * *

 

First quarter ended with a four-point difference, Touou in the lead. It wasn’t where Riko wanted the team to be, but at least their lead wasn’t too huge. She had also been watching Kagami and noticing the way she had been walking.

“Kagami.” She said once the taller girl sat down. “Your legs are still hurting aren’t they?”

“Um…” Kagami broke eye contact. “A little.”

“I think a lot.” Riko said. Just one look at her legs and she could see very low numbers. “Take off your shoes and socks, I’m going to tape your feet.”

Kagami did as she was told. Riko grabbed her foot and almost gagged. The bad thing about having to tape feet was that they got sweaty. But Riko got over it and looked over her foot, unable to believe that it belonged to a girl. Just where did she get shoes that size?

Without shoes and socks, she got a more accurate reading, and as expected the numbers were much lower. If the game weren’t so essential, Riko would have made her sit out. But they needed her to win, and Kagami wasn’t complaining of any pain.

As Riko began to tape, she could feel someone from Touou glaring at her but she ignored it.

“So what should we do?” Hyuga asked drinking his water. “They know our play style.”

Riko sighed. She really had no idea what to do against Touou. “We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing. They may have a year worth of information on the second years, but there’s still Kuroko and Kagami.”

“Uh Riko.” Kagami said and then cringed as Riko must have started to tape an area that really hurt. “Momoi did go to Teiko with Kuroko, she has three years’ worth of information on him.”

“Yeah but so far none of them have been able to predict Kuroko. And you only played basketball for half your third year of middle school in Japan, so she only has a few months at best. Unless she found your school in America.”

She knew the plan wasn’t great and she wished her dad were there to give her advice. He had played for the national team years ago and did some coaching. He might have known what to do against this team.

Riko started to tape Kagami’s second foot.  It seemed worse than her other. “I thought your feet would have been better than this by now.”

Kagami gave a nervous laugh. Riko groaned figuring that she must have played basketball sometime during the week. She had been excited when a girl had joined the team thinking that she would have more sense than all the boys. But Kagami’s seemed to be just as bad or worse.  

Riko really wanted to see her become one of the best players in Japan, one that could stand as an equal to the generation of miracles. She herself had gotten enough hell from others about being a high school girl coaching the boys team, and there would be nothing sweeter than her coaching a team with a girl and winning the championships.

She finished taping just as the break ended. The team walked back out for the second quarter. Kagami seemed stronger now and was walking better and far more determined.

Imayoshi smirked at her. “We thought that you would still be injured.”

Kagami walked by without saying a word.

“Huh?” He blinked. “Why are you ignoring me?”

“Because you creep me out.” Kagami said dryly.

“What! That’s so mean!”

Riko laughed. At the very least Kagami could be funny, intentional or not.

As the second quarter started, Riko watching clutching her hands. They really needed a lead before Aomine arrived but that was looking less and less likely.

Kuroko passed to Kagami and she jumped, higher than the two from Touou and dunked. Riko cringed as she landed wondering if that had hurt. But Kagami seemed unbothered, in fact… she seemed far more focused than the first quarter.

* * *

 

Midorima was getting more nervous as the game continued. Touou was still ahead and Aomine was likely to arrive soon. And Touou could give them that much of a challenge without Aomine, it seemed hopeless that they would win once he arrived.

“Hey did you see how high she jumped that time!” Kise brought him out of his thoughts.

Midorima nodded. He had watched Seirin’s coach tape her feet.

“She’s playing more recklessly.” Though he was concerned that Seirin would be finished once Aomine arrived, he was more concerned for her than the outcome of the game. Leo’s lucky item that day was an origami crane… maybe he should have brought one and somehow slipped it into her possession. “That won’t be good for her.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because she’s going to injure herself worse.” Midorima said. “Her legs aren’t strong enough to be jumping like that and it would be a shame if she couldn’t play the rest of the year.” He adjusted his glasses. “At this point it would be best to bench her.”

“But Seirin needs her to win…” Kise said loudly. “and if you were injured would you want to be benched? Especially if your entire team was relying on you?”

Midorima thought about it and yes he would want play through a game with an injury, especially an important game like this. “You’re right. I just don’t want to see her get hurt.”

“Athletes get hurt all the time, why do you care so much about…” Kise looked at him and grinned. “Midorimacchi, are you in love with her?”

He nearly dropped his lucky item. “What? No of course not!”

“Then why is your face getting red?” Kise laughed.

“It’s not!” He wanted to punch Kise so hard at that moment. First Takao, then the rest of Shutoku, and now him… were his feelings for her that obvious?

“It looks like I have a rival!” Kise said more cheerful that most would be learning that they had competition for someone.

“No you don’t! Cancer and Leo are not compatible!” But it didn’t matter how much he denied it, Kise knew. And now that he did, everyone else would know soon enough.

* * *

 

Momoi held her notebook close watching Kagami and Kuroko. The two played very well together and it made her a little sad. It was like watching Aomine and Kuroko back in middle school.

Kagami scored a three closing the gap between Touou and Seirin.

“Kagami is playing really well.” Momoi commented. Even with the information she had gathered, the boys were having more difficulty blocking her shots, even when they knew what she was going to do. Some were even nervous about going to mark her with how fast she ran.

“Right now she is, but that will end soon.” The coach, Harasawa said coldly.

“Um… what do you mean?”

“She’s already injured… it doesn’t matter how young you are, that much stress on that injury is not good. She’ll be done soon. That taping won’t help if she keeps playing the way she is.” He paused. “And because she’s a girl, it will happen much sooner than if she were a boy.”

“Huh what do you mean!” She said letting it be known to him that she was angry at his statement.

“It’s a simple fact, women’s bodies are weaker than men’s. She’s impressive and she can keep up with the boys… but she’ll never be the best.”

It took everything she had to not smack him with her notebook. And even more not to yell to Kagami to win. She still had to be loyal to her own team.

_Please win Kagami._

* * *

 

Kagami scored another three and was ready to steal the ball from Touou. She had a huge adrenaline rush this quarter and believed that Seirin could pull ahead. She even managed to scare Sakurai into jumping out of her way as she charged down the court and even Imayoshi seemed apprehensive about guarding her.

But then Riko called a time out. Kagami walked to the bench annoyed that the flow was now disrupted.

“Kagami.” Riko spoke to her. “I know I taped your feet but you need to calm down. How are you going to play the next game if your injury is worse!”

“But we need to win this one!” This was the only game she cared about. Winning against that arrogant jerk who thought he could show up to games late.

“We also need to win the next two.” Riko said. “Just pass to Hyuga or Mitobe when you are double teamed. No more dunking!”

Kuroko walked up next to her. “Kagami, I agree with the coach. You shouldn’t hurt yourself over a game. Just shoot threes if you need to score… you have been practicing those.”

She scoffed. Maybe she had been too focused on winning against someone who wasn’t even there. If they wanted to win the inter high, well they still had two more miracles plus a real game with Kise, to face.

But just as that thought crossed her mind, a hand was placed on Kuroko’s shoulder. Kagami’s eyes widened when she saw who it was.  

“It’s been a while Tetsu.” He had that smug smile on his face that Kagami hated.

Kuroko looked up. “Aomine-kun?”

“Hey you’re team is over there!” Hyuga yelled and pointed to Touou’s bench.

Aomine eyed Kagami. “I hope you can give me a good game today.”

Kagami rolled her eyes and walked over. “Get your hand off Kuroko.” She pushed it off Kuroko’s shoulder. It only put her into close proximity to him, so she looked him in the eye, hoping to intimidate him. The guy had the nerve to walk to their bench during a time out.

“I was just saying hi to my former shadow.” He laughed. “Or did that make you jealous?”

She groaned. He hadn’t been there for a minute and he had already pissed her off. She was about to say something but Imayoshi beat her to it.

“Aomine stop hitting on her and get over here!”

Kagami glared at Imayoshi and Aomine shrugged and walked over to his team.

The time out ended, and they walked back to the court, this time with Aomine on the other team. He walked by her.

“Don’t disappoint me.” He said.

Kagami rolled her eyes. She was here to beat him, not to get his approval or whatever.

 Imayoshi threw the ball back into play to Aomine. Kagami marked him, keeping her eyes on his as he dribbled. He smirked, crossed over the ball and spun around and ran past her.

“Damn it!” Kagami cursed under her breath and ran after him. No way was she letting him score. She caught up just as he was about to dunk. She jumped, ignoring Riko and Kuroko’s advice and hit the ball out of his hand.

Aomine looked at her wide eyed and she smirked at him.

Izuki got the ball and ran to their basket. Kagami followed. Izuki passed to Kuroko who used his ignite pass to get the ball to her. She jumped to dunk but Aomine hit it out of her hand before she could score.

And then the second quarter ended.

Aomine sighed. “I was hoping to score a few points while I warmed up.”

* * *

 

Kagami sat in the locker room with a towel around her neck staring at the ground and trying to get her thoughts together. If that was Aomine before he was warmed up, how was he going to be in this next quarter? And that maneuver he did… she could barely follow it.

“Alright everyone, have some honey lemons before the second half!” Riko held a container out to everyone.

Kagami stood up, grateful for the snack, and then frowned when she saw the lemons.

“Why didn’t you slice them!” Hyuga yelled.

“Huh, just ignore the skin.”

“The skin is bitter and the insides are sour!” Hyuga continued. “We can’t eat those!”

“Well, we knew that coach was a bad cook.” Izuki shrugged.

“There was no cooking to this!” Kagami poked one of the lemons. But even though they looked gross, she was hungry enough to eat one. “It’s just slicing and soaking in honey!”

“Hey respect your senpai!” Riko attempted to defend herself.

 Kagami folded her arms. “Let me make them next time.”

Mitobe pulled a container out of his bag and presented it to the rest of the team. It was sliced lemons soaked in honey.

“Mitobe we’re so lucky to have you!” Hyuga was nearly in tears.

Kagami ate one of Mitobe’s lemons and then handed one to Kuroko.

“No I don’t want any.”

“You sure? You played the entire first half.”

He nodded. “And I’d like to play through the second.”

“Um Kuroko.” Riko had overheard. “Your misdirection gets weaker the more you play. You really should sit out for the third quarter.”

“Yeah.” Izuki agreed. “I can already tell that it is getting weaker… you’re much easier to see on the court.”

“But… I want to play against Aomine… I want to win…” Kuroko’s eyes were different, almost pleading.

“Kuroko.” Kagami spoke. “We need your low presence. How are you going to beat Aomine if everyone can see you on the court? Isn’t that how you play?”

Riko nodded. “You’re out the third quarter.”

* * *

 

Seirin walked back out to the court. Aomine was already out there warming up. Kagami watched him as he did a few tricky movements and then would score. They were much more complicated from the one on one they played. She had no idea how she was going to stop him. But she had to admit, it was pretty impressive.

Then she shook her head, angry that she had even thought that.

“I can’t believe you ate those lemons that the coach made.” Hyuga said walking next to her.

“Mitobe’s were all eaten, and I was still hungry.” She patted her stomach.

“No one could possibly be hungry enough to eat those! And you looked miserable!”

“Oh they were awful.” Kagami said having a flashback to that taste. “They were way to sour, but I really needed more to eat.”

Hyuga folded his arms. “I was afraid you would be too sick to play. But at least you made the coach happy.”

Kagami nodded. Riko had been thrilled when Kagami finished the last of her lemons and declared her her favorite of the team.

Third quarter was about to start. Seirin walked on to the court and Kagami went right to Aomine.

“So you’re warmed up now?” She tried to look him in the eye but that smile he gave her forced her to look down at the ground. She cursed herself and remembered what she had learned about Teiko.

“You seem a little different from the last time we played. Maybe this game won’t be boring.”

Third quarter began, and Aomine got the ball. He did the same move as last time, but Kagami was ready for it. She smacked the ball out of his hand and then grabbed it and ran to Seirin’s basket. She stopped at the three-point line ready to take Kuroko’s advice and shoot it. As soon as it left her hands, Aomine was already behind her and knocked it off its path.

She threw her hands down, knowing she should have expected that.

Aomine laughed. “Alright this kind of basketball is boring.”

She looked at him, unsure of what he meant.

Sakurai got the ball and threw it to Aomine. Kagami tried to steal but he got to it first. He stopped and she stood in front of him. He smiled as if challenging her and then he threw the ball behind him and to the side.

Kagami blinked. “What is he-“

Aomine ran and caught it and rant down the court. She followed unsure of what had just happened. He jumped to shoot. Kagami ran to block. She jumped higher than him and reached out her hand. But Aomine leaned back, far back and shot the ball. There was no way that anyone could possibly score like that. But it went into the basket.

“What…” Kagami stared in disbelief.

* * *

 

Riko rested her forehead in her hands. She had no idea what she had just watched and whatever Aomine did didn’t seem possible. Now Kagami was having trouble keeping up with him.

Touou got the ball again and passed to Aomine. He ran to score. Hyuga, Mitobe, and Tsuchida jumped to block. Aomine jumped right by them and passed the backboard.

_Good he’s out of bounds!_

But Aomine just threw the ball behind him, over the back board and it went into the basket.

“What no way!” She yelled out loud. This guy was unbelievable.

And it only got worse. Riko had Tsuchida help Kagami mark Aomine. But even the two of them couldn’t keep up. It didn’t matter what they did or how they blocked, Aomine found a way to make the basket.

“Kuroko. Has he always played like this?” She asked. If he were like this in middle school, there would have been no need for Teiko’s other miracles.

“Yes… this has always been Aomine’s style. But he has improved.”

Riko slumped over and studied Aomine. She had absolutely no idea what to do to stop him. And the rest of the team seemed to be getting demoralized, except for Kagami, who was playing more aggressively than ever yet still couldn’t keep up.

“Coach…” Kuroko spoke. “I’m done resting… Please put me in the game.”

Riko didn’t want to just yet, but she had no choice. They were far too many points behind and no one could stop Aomine. But maybe Kuroko could help.

* * *

 

A substitution was called and Kuroko was subbed in. Kagami was relieved that she had him back on the court with her. As much as she hated to admit, Aomine was just too good. She couldn’t help but wonder how he would do against some of the guys she knew back in LA.

Aomine grinned as Kuroko walked back onto the court. “Alright Tetsu… let’s see how you and your new light play together.”

The game started back up. Kuroko stopped a pass to Imayoshi and passed across the court to her. She dribbled to the basket but knew Aomine was right behind her. Right before he caught up, she passed back to Hyuga, who quickly shot and scored a three.

Now that Kuroko was on the court, they started to score points. He was able to keep the ball away from Aomine and pass to whoever was open. But Kagami noticed that he did seem far more determined than at the beginning of the game and kept looking over at Aomine anytime he passed the ball.

Kuroko got the ball and held it and Kagami ran to their basket expecting an ignite pass.

Aomine sighed. “Tetsu, you really think you can beat me this way?”

Kuroko glared at him.

“You haven’t changed a bit I’m disappointed.”

Feeling that something was wrong. Kagami began to slowly walk forward and signaled for Kuroko to pass to her.

Kuroko made eye contact with her and did his ignite pass. She stuck out her hand to catch it… but it never reached her. Aomine caught it first.

“Huh?” Kagami’s eyes widened.

“Kuroko, you really thought that would work? Who do you think has caught more of your passes than anyone?” Aomine smirked.

Kagami started to run, hoping in vain to steal the ball.

“You’re passes won’t work against Touou… and without them… you’re worse than the average player…”

“Hey!” kagami caught up to him. “What the hell is your problem!” Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Kuroko was looking distraught and she just wanted to punch Aomine.

“Does the phantom need his girlfriend to defend him.” Imayoshi walked by.

“Oh fuck off!” Kagami yelled forgetting that she was in a basketball game.

Imayoshi stopped and put his hands on his hips. “Well that was rude.”

Aomine laughed while watching Imayoshi. Then he looked back at Kagami. “Listen, this is between me and him.” He then ran right by Kuroko.

Kagami ran to the basket hoping that she wouldn’t have to block, Hyuga, Izuki, and Mitobe were already going to mark him. But Aomine maneuvered around all three of them. She jumped to block him from scoring, but he threw the ball behind over his shoulder and it went into the basket.

She blinked… unsure why she was still surprised at the shots that he could make. But that wasn’t the only thing.

_He beat all five of us…_

* * *

 

It was hard for Riko to keep her eyes on the game. Especially after that last play. And with Kuroko passes being useless with Aomine on the court and Kagami barely able to keep up, the game already seemed lost. And worse, she didn’t know of any advice to give her team. But she’d have to stay focused for them. So she kept watching and did her best to think of a way to counter Aomine. But nothing came to mind.

Kagami tried desperately to stop Aomine, but he would just do some move that she couldn’t follow and then score.

Riko eyed the players on the bench. They had also given up hope for a win. Koganei wasn’t even watching, Tsuchida had his face buried in his hands, and the freshmen just stared at the game blankly.

She sighed. At this point They would need a miracle. And then she saw Kagami stumble and walk more delicately before the ball was thrown back into play. The tape might not be holding up…

* * *

 

Aomine grinned as Kagami came to mark him again. It was the first time he had seen her in a real game and after three quarters… she was covered in sweat. He had never seen a girl like that, not even in the porn he watched.

He stood in front of her dribbling. She was breathing heavily and gave him a cold icy stare. He wouldn’t have been surprised if in her own frustration, she fouled him.

But… there was something really hot about it all. Despite him being so much better than her she was still giving it her all, even with injured legs… that he may have been partly responsible for…

She at least made the game somewhat entertaining. Aomine had hoped that Kuroko had learned something between middle school and high school, something that would surprise him and give him a challenge. But Kuroko had stayed the same.

_Someday, I’m sure you’ll find a someone that is more amazing than you._

Those words from two years ago echoed. Maybe he would, but it wasn’t going to be Kagami.

He ran by and around her, their bodies so close… and then towards Touou’s basket. She reached for him but wasn’t fast enough and he shot the ball. He did feel a little bad crushing her like that. She had gained a reputation for being a girl on a boys team that was able to keep up. But he wouldn’t hold back. Knowing the kind of player she was she would only find that insulting.

And she was lucky. Momoi had said that on the girl’s middle school team, none of the other teams stood a chance against her. Thank to her, the team would win my huge point margins with her barely putting any effort into the game. At least she could find a challenge on the boy’s team instead of getting bored with the sport.

There was a call for a player substitution. Kagami stumbled off the court.

Well there went his little bit of entertainment for that game.

* * *

 

Kagami walked to the bench about to beg Riko to put her back in the game. But her coach was ready for her.

“Kagami sit down.” She said firmly.

“I can still play!” Kagami said. Her legs felt as though they were made out of glass and could shatter at any moment, but if she just pushed herself, she could make it through the game. Just a few more plays and maybe she could figure out how to beat Aomine.

Riko shook her head. “Your legs are too injured, you could cause some serious damage to them if you keep playing.”

“But we won’t win if I don’t play.”

“Kagami.” Riko said gently. “You needed Kuroko… and his passes aren’t working against Aomine… I’m sorry but it would be irresponsible to put back into the game.” Riko eyes started to well up with tears.

Knowing that she wasn’t going to win the argument, Kagami sat down next to her and rested her chin in her hands. She watched her team. Aomine outclassed them all. He leaned over and said something to Kuroko that she couldn’t hear but she assumed it was something cruel. And now she hated that she couldn’t be out there on the court with him.

“I really don’t like Aomine.” She said. It had nothing to do with how good he was, that could have been fun to watch. But his attitude and his past with Kuroko and the fact that… he wasn’t bad looking infuriated her.

 _You’re such an asshole. Why did I ever think you were hot? It must have been a bad day._ She thought up more petty insults as she watched him score more points.

“Yeah…” Riko sighed. “Of the three generation of miracles that we have met, he is by far the most arrogant.”

Kagami eyed the clock. So many more minutes till the end of the game.

Kagami put a towel around her neck and stared at the floor, angry at herself for not resting the past week. If she hadn’t gone out to the court, she never would have met Aomine and played that stupid one on one. And maybe her legs would have been better.

Third quarter ended and the team walked back to the bench.

“Kagami are you alright?” Hyuga asked sitting next to her.

“Yeah… they just still hurt.” She mumbled. She lifted her head and out of the corner of her eye saw many people from Touou staring at her.

“Its useless.” Izuki said. “I don’t think we can win.”

Hyuga, Mitobe, and Tsuchida also seemed resigned.

“No…” Kuroko said. “The chance of winning only becomes 0% when everyone give up.” He tugged his wrist bands. “I’m not going to.”

Kagami’s eyes welled up with tears and wanted to give him a hug. He wanted to win so bad against Aomine, and it was looking more and more like they weren’t going to win the game. But she quickly wiped her eyes before any of the guys saw. Who knew what others would say if that had happened.

Hyuga folded his arms. “Well we can’t let the first year show us up like that. We’ll keep playing till the end.”

Fourth quarter started, and the point difference only increased. But everyone kept playing their hardest. She did her best to cheer them on with the rest of the team, even when Touou passed the hundred-point mark and Seirin stayed in the forties.

In the end Seirin lost 111 to 45. The team returned to the bench exhausted. Kuroko had tears in his eyes that Kagami wasn’t sure were from loss, frustration or both.

When they stood up to go to the locker room, Aomine gave Kuroko one last smirk. Kagami walked over and put her arm around Kuroko and pulled him close and scoffed at Aomine before walking to the locker room. She didn’t care what anyone would say at that point about them. And then she saw Momoi yelling at Aomine, but Kagami couldn’t hear what she said.

 “Well it can’t be helped.” She overheard someone behind the team. “She is a girl, they just can’t take an injury like the boys.”

“Yeah.” Someone else laughed. “She didn’t even look that hurt.”

Kagami cringed and became more aware of the pain in her legs.

As they approached the locker rooms she only heard more from two guys standing in the hall.

“Why did they ever think that a team so desperate for members that they let a girl join would win?”

“Shutoku and Seiho must have had an off day.”

She sped up, passing many of her own teammates and was more than happy when she reached the locker room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was heart wrenching to write and the next chapter will pick up where this one left off. Aomine was probably a bigger asshole here than in the show... but we're mostly seeing him from Kagami's point of view and she doesn't know everything about Teiko yet.
> 
> I also didn't have Aomine put his arm around Kagami when he first arrived because... well that just would really not look with femKagami especially with him being attracted to her and her making it known to him that she's annoyed with him.
> 
>  
> 
> So for our next pairing:
> 
> Kagami x Midorima
> 
> Their biggest shipper: Takao. Despite teasing Midorima about his feelings towards her, he would be very happy for him if they got together. He'd even give them in his bike to their dates.
> 
> When do they become a couple: Officially, after third year. Midorima would be way too focused on basketball and school to have a serious relationship. But that's not to say that they woudln't have a few dates beforehand.
> 
> What do I like about them: Midorima is such a tsundere that their inteactions are so much fun to write. And also, he would not be confident in anything romantic which I think would be adorable. Of all the characters I think he'd be the most mature about their relationship while they're young. He think of her needs more than the others. As for Kagami, she could convince him to go out and do someting fun that's not school or basketball related. And she would enjoy playing one on one against him. He's also one of the guys that's taller than her. (Aomine just barely is) I think their personalities could also balance each other out very well. Also, Canon Kagami x Midorima is underrated and also adorable. Just follow their interactions through the story.
> 
> If not each other: Well besides Kuroko, I'd say Takao. Everyone says Takao for Midorima but he is one of the few secondary characters that gets to hang out with the GOM.
> 
> Alright, I'm gonna go study.


	11. Sleep Overs and Angsty Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go. This was another hard chapter to write, only because Kuroko and Aomine's friendship just hurts.

Touou was celebrating their win in the locker room. Comments flew back and forth about Seirin not being that much of a challenge after all and that making nationals would be easy.

But Aomine felt nothing for the win. It was just another boring basketball game. He had hoped that Kuroko would have improved and surprised him, but that didn’t happen.

He wondered if Kuroko had gone to Kaijo with Kise and became his light, if he could have beat those two together. But there was no way of finding out now. Besides, somehow Kuroko had Kagami had won their practice game against Kaijo. But he wasn’t going to believe that Kagami was a better player than Kise.

“Well it just goes to show that girls don’t belong on the boy’s team.” One of the third string members near Aomine said. “I mean who didn’t expect her to get hurt?”

Aomine turned and glared at him. “I don’t think you could have played a full minute if you had her injury.” The way Kagami walked was enough to tell him that she was in a lot of pain and even more so when she would grimace after landing from a jump.

The guy folded his arms. “Come on are you serious? I wouldn’t get an injury like that from one game.”

Aomine did his best to calm himself down and not jump up and get into his face. The guy clearly had no idea what he was talking about and Aomine knew, even without Momoi’s information, that the injury couldn’t have been from that day. About a year ago he had hurt himself from jumping too much to dunk, but it was in the off season and he hadn’t gone to play several more games after.

The coach looked up annoyed. “That injury wasn’t from today. It started weeks ago, and it has been getting worse with each game that she plays. Today she reached her limit.” He frowned. “Seirin’s coach should have taken her out much sooner, but even though she’s Kagetora’s daughter, she’s still very inexperienced.” He paused. “And she better hope that the girl has no permanent damage.”

“Oh, so can she play better than what we saw today?”

The coach nodded. “Logically yes, but even without that injury, Aomine is still far better.”

The guy back off and with that take care of, Aomine grabbed his water and took a drink. Just why was he getting worked up over Kagami of all people? She was just another opponent that couldn’t give him a good game. Although… he sat down his water. She could make a good fuck buddy. He thought about it for a moment and concluded that even though they were no longer friends, that would be a pretty low thing to do to Kuroko. And Kagami had made it clear that she couldn’t stand him.

“You know… that phantom sixth man wasn’t anything special.” Another third stringer said. “And it was pretty pathetic that he kept fighting till the end.” He finished laughing.

Aomine, without thinking, jumped up, grabbed the guy and slammed him against the locker. “That’s a lot of talk for someone didn’t play in the game!” He yelled. He didn’t know why he was doing this, and not wanting to let go and apologize, he held the guys jacket tighter.

 The guy looked back at him terrified.

“Aomine let him go!” Wakamatsu yelled running over.

Relieved, he let the guy drop to the ground. Then he thought back to the day that he and Kuroko first met and all the time that they spent together. Basketball was when they could beat all their opponents by playing together… but then he had gotten so good that relying on Kuroko became pointless.

_Someday, I’m sure that you’ll meet someone that is more amazing than you._

“Well I haven’t Tetsu.” Aomine said quietly. “Basketball is still boring.”

Basketball was once the one thing that he really enjoyed. He could play for hours and not get sick of it. But now it was just something to do because it was one of the few things he was good at. He wanted it to be fun again. There was nothing he really enjoyed anymore. Most of his days were spent lying down or sleeping.

* * *

 

Kagami sat in the locker room watching her teammates gather up all their stuff. She dreaded walking out and coming face to face with others who had watched that game, knowing that she would overhear more comments about her performance. If she could, she’d stay there until she was absolutely sure she was the last one left.

But there was another game after theirs and she’d be there for hours.

Kuroko sat next to her with his face buried in his hands. The loss had hit him hard. And she knew it was all because of Aomine.

“Well I can see why you two are no longer friends. Aomine is a real asshole.” She spoke hoping that insulting the guy would make Kuroko feel better. “I don’t even think his own team likes him.” She laughed. “The guy is probably miserable anyway.”

But then she remembered that Momoi was still his friend, so he had at least one person.

Kuroko cringed and pulled his legs up to the bench and buried his face into his knees.

“Hey I’m sorry.” Kagami but her hand on his shoulder. She hadn’t expected that reaction at all and was now at a loss of what to do. “Are you going to be okay?”

Kuroko nodded and then said quietly. “I wanted to help him.”

Kagami tilted her head. “With what? He was by far the best player out there. And you don’t owe him anything.”

Kuroko shook his head. “That’s the problem… back in middle school…” Kuroko stopped and looked around the locker room at their other teammates.

Understanding, Kagami sighed. “Why don’t we get you a vanilla shake, actually we’ll pick up dinner and then we’ll go to my place and talk.”

Kuroko’s eyes widened. “Will your parents be okay with that?”

Kagami shrugged. “I’m the only one living there right now. My dad is still out of the country…” She gripped her knees. It still made her angry that her dad moved her back to Japan and only a month later to accept another job that would require him to be constantly traveling. He even had another apartment in New York where he did most of his business. She hadn’t seen him in over a year and he rarely ever contacted her.

The team got up to leave. Kagami grabbed her stuff and kept to the back of the group. She kept her head down to avoid any eye contact as they passed others in the hall.

She and Kuroko got on the next bus. The nearest Magi Burger was only a few blocks away but Riko had told her to keep off her feet as much as possible. Kagami didn’t argue, they hurt.

They ordered their food to go, neither were in the mood to be among a crowd. There was also an overcast and they didn’t want to get stuck walking in the rain.

 They took the bus back to her apartment. Kagami munched on a few fries during the ride.

“Do you need to let your parents know that you’re here?”

Kuroko shook his head. “They stay out late every night.”

They ate in silence. Kagami had no idea what to say after that game and Kuroko likely felt the same. That and he was going to tell her a personal story about middle school. But surprisingly, it wasn’t awkward.

Rain drops hit the window and lightning flashed.

Kuroko’s cell phone vibrated. He picked it up, looked at it and then started to write a text. He sent it and then received another text. Soon he was texting back and forth with someone.

“Who are you talking to?” She had never seen Kuroko text like that to anyone.

“Kise-kun.”

“Kise?”

“He wanted to know how I was doing after that game.”

Kagami’s insides went cold. “He was there?”

Kuroko nodded. “He watched it with Midorima.”

Kagami groaned and wanted to lay her head on the table. Of course they would be there, two of their teammates from middle school were playing each other.

“He… and Midorima also want to know if you’re legs are okay.”

“Tell them they’re fine.” Kagami folded her arms. She now regretted declaring to them both that she would beat all the generation of miracles. At that moment, her loss to Aomine made her not even care about winning against the next two. There was no point if she couldn’t beat them all.

“Can I tell them that you’re resting?” Kuroko asked not wanting to lie about her injury.

“Sure.” She flexed her ankles. Anytime someone brought up her injury her feet only hurt worse. And she could feel it all the way up her legs.

They finished their dinner and Kuroko’s conversation with Kise ended.

“Let’s go over here and talk.” Kagami pointed to the couch. After, they could sit and veg and watch TV. It wasn’t like there was anything she could do.

They sat, both getting comfortable. Kuroko was quiet and didn’t make eye contact at first.  But Kagami waited.

Finally, he spoke. “I just want to see Aomine-kun enjoy basketball again.”

“Um okay… but why him? He said some pretty cruel things to you.” Kagami still couldn’t wrap her head around it. Maybe they were good friend’s in middle school and Kuroko wanted that back, but people change. There were a few friends in her life that she had a falling out with and had no intention of making amends. She preferred to keep those that she liked close.

Kuroko sighed. “He’s the one that encouraged me to keep playing basketball… I wouldn’t be on the team if it wasn’t for him…”

“Huh?” Kagami tilted her head. Aomine had come off as someone that was too pompous to encourage someone to keep trying and instead, would bully a weaker player.

 “So I need to help him now.”

Kuroko then went into a long story about middle school. How Aomine was known through the school as a basketball prodigy, and then how he and Aomine met, Kagami had to laugh when Aomine thought Kuroko had been a ghost in the gym. Kuroko told her how they would practice together every night so that Kuroko could one day be a starter. He went on to tell her that the coach had told him that he should quit because he wasn’t any good and that Aomine begged him not to and to keep practicing.

He had to pause before he spoke about the next part. Aomine kept improving and got to the point that the game became too easy. Kuroko begging him to keep practicing and that he would one day find someone who was better than him. Finally, Aomine not returning his fist bump during a game and then finishing with his break down by the river, the coach, instead of helping him, telling him that he didn’t have attend practice as long as they kept winning, and then the two growing further apart after that.

Kuroko then told her a few things Momoi had told him when she had come to visit at Seirin. That Aomine was not attending practices and spent most of his time either lazing around or sleeping and not really caring about anything.

Kagami sat back in the couch as Kuroko finished, unsure of what to say. She couldn’t believe it but she felt a little sorry for Aomine.

“And you thought I could beat him?” She finally spoke.

Kuroko nodded. “You play like he once did.”

Kagami sighed. It was odd being compared to him. “Kuroko… I’m sorry I disappointed you today…”

“You didn’t.”

She ignored him. “But next time… don’t worry we’ll win… I’m just going to need to get some help from someone first.” The only person who could help her at this point was Alex. She would know how to play against someone like Aomine and even knew a few professional streetball players. “Later this year, before the Winter Cup, I was planning to visit LA. I can get help from someone there.”

Kuroko smiled.

“Um… but do you think this will help him?” Kagami wasn’t sure if Aomine losing would push him over the edge and only make things worse.

“I don’t know. But… I think he wants to lose. And I can’t beat him by myself… I’m the shadow.”

“You know, you’re a much nicer person than I am.” Kagami then frowned. “Aomine isn’t as bad as I thought but I still don’t like him.”

Kuroko smiled. “Um… thank you Kagami.”

“You’re the one that said that I could beat the generation of miracles with your help.”

Kagami then turned on the TV. She flipped through the channels but not finding anything to watch. She considered pulling up her laptop and turning on an American station, but she wasn’t sure if Kuroko would be able to understand the English. Besides, the one thing she’d look for was a basketball game and that was the last thing she wanted to watch. Finally, she settled for a cartoon, one that wouldn’t require their full attention to watch. But it would be enough to distract them from the game that they lost.

Kuroko seemed happy enough with the selection and they sat and watched.

Thunder sounded startling them both. Kuroko looked at the time.

“Just stay over tonight.” She said.

“Um.”

“There’s a storm out there, and you said that your parents will be out late anyway.”

Kuroko looked at her.

“You don’t have to feel bad, people in America crash on each other’s couch’s all the time.” She paused and looked away. “Besides, it gets lonely here.”

“Thank you Kagami.”

“Oh, and please just call me Taiga.”

Kuroko eyed her. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, everyone in America calls me Taiga… and I think we’ve known each other long enough.”

“Then you can call me Tetsuya.”

She smiled suddenly realizing that two of her best friends had very similar names. Tetsuya and Tatsuya. She wondered how Tatsuya was doing. It had been so long since she had seen him.

Kuroko grabbed his gym bag, reached in and grabbed a spare pair of clothes.

“No wear those tomorrow.” Kagami said. “I’ll let you borrow some of mine for tonight.”

“Um…” Kuroko raised his eyebrow.

Kagami laughed. “Don’t worry, I have to shop in the men’s section in Japan. Women’s clothes are too small for me here.” Although even in America it was hard to find her size in the women’s section. Most of her clothes were ordered online. “And those won’t be comfortable to sleep in.” She pointed at the clothes he held.

She went to her room and grabbed a pair of sweat pants and a tee shirt and then brought them to Kuroko.

“See, nothing girly about them.” Kagami held them out. “They will be a little big.”

“Thank you.” Kuroko took the clothes.

“Change in the guest room.” Kagami said.

She went back to her room to change out of her clothes, grabbing nearly the same thing she had given Kuroko. Sweat pants and a sweat shirt, but only because she wasn’t wearing a bra and she didn’t know if that would be too awkward with someone else staying the night.

Her clothes were huge on Kuroko. He had to tie the sweatpants very tight around his waist and the legs were rolled up. The tee shirt was tied on one side. But they would work for that night.

They watched more TV. Kagami was barely paying attention to the show. Her mind was on the game that they lost and on what she had over heard from others.

Her eye lids became heavy and she rested her head on the back of the couch. She glanced over at Kuroko. He was laying his head on the arm rest and his eyes were closing.

_I should get him a pillow and a blanket._

And then her eyes closed.

* * *

 

There was a loud knocking at the door. Her eyes opened and she felt a dull pain in her back and neck. Sleeping sitting up had been a bad idea.

The sun was shining through the windows and the TV was still on.  She stood up and stretched.

There was more knocking. Kuroko moved but his eyes remained closed. Kagami dragged herself to the door wondering who had decided to visit this early in the morning.

She opened the door yawning and Riko stood outside.

“Sorry about this Kagami, I tried to call your cell phone but you didn’t answer, and this is important.”

“Mmmhmm… just come inside.” Riko walked in and took off her shoes.

“Anyway, I came to tell you that my dad was able to get an appointment for you with a doctor this morning. You really need someone to look at your feet.”

She walked in further and then gasped when she saw who was sitting on the couch yawning, his hair sticking up in all directions.

“Morning Tetsuya.” Kagami said. “You need to do something about your hair.”

“Tetsuya…” Riko’s mouth hung open. Then she looked at Kagami. “Last night… did you two… did you two…”

“No we didn’t.” Kagami blushed and was suddenly wide awake. It hadn’t even occurred to her how it would look with Kuroko sitting right there on her couch half asleep. “I told you that I don’t date teammates. He came over last night and there was that storm so I told him to just stay over.”

However, a thought crossed her mind if they had slept together. _Aomine you may have won but we got to have sex._ And then she shook her head. She had to stick to her policy of no dating teammates. And for all she knew Aomine was with a girl last night and it wasn’t like she’d tell him anyways. She wanted to kick her self for even thinking about him and being so petty.

“Oh…” Riko looked relieved. “Anyway, your appointment is in two hours. Will that be okay?”

Kagami nodded. “Just let me get ready first.”

She ran and grabbed a quick breakfast for her and Kuroko, a couple of granola bars Alex had sent her from America. It wouldn’t fill her up and she’d be hungry after the doctor, but it was something.

 Then she looked a Kuroko and handed him a hair brush.

“Seriously, how does that happen?”

“It’s always bad in the morning.”

“But you were sleeping on your right side. Your bed head is in the back.”

Riko eyed them both.

“By the way, what were you going to today?” She asked him.

“I was going to go with you.” Kuroko said. “If that’s okay.”

“Um yeah… sure.” She smiled.

“Kuroko are you sure?” Riko asked. “It could take a while.”

Kuroko nodded. “I spend the most time with Ka-Taiga.” He said her name shyly. “I’ll make sure she follows the doctors’ orders.”

Kagami laughed nervously. Though she didn’t think she was going to need any convincing to do what ever this doctor advised.

When his hair was fixed, he grabbed his clothes out of his gym bag and went to the guest room to change.

Kagami went into the bathroom. She splashed water onto her face and then looked into the mirror. Frowning, she grabbed a pair of tweezers and started plucking. Then she brushed her hair and pulled it back into a pony tail.

Within the hour she was ready.

“Tetsuya… I have an extra tooth brush in the bathroom if you want it.”

“Thank you.” He said and went to brush his teeth.

Riko looked at her. “Are you sure nothing happened last night? You’re on a first name basis, he’s borrowing your clothes, and… even if you weren’t planning to spend the night together, you still had him here alone with you.”

“Trust me, neither of us would have been in the mood.” She said. “We just needed to talk about Aomine without anyone else around.”

Riko nodded. “And um… if something were to happen… would you be… I mean… do you have anything…” Her face got red as she beat around the bush.

“Yes don’t worry, Alex, my basketball mentor from America, has sent me a few care packages, one did have condoms…”

Now it was her turn to blush. When Alex had learned that she was on the boy’s team, she happily asked if Kagami had a boyfriend or a crush on any of them, and then immediately went into safe sex practices and told her to make sure her night stand was stocked just in case they were in the heat of the moment...

And of course, the next package she sent was a pretty much a sex ED care package with a note that said “you’ll ever know when you’ll be in the heat of the moment.” She would have died of embarrassment if she had opened it in front of anyone.

When Kuroko was ready, they left.

Waiting for the bus seemed to take forever. Kagami would glance around and see if she recognized anyone from the game suddenly wishing she had made herself look a little different. Maybe some make up or wear her hair down. It likely wouldn’t matter. Her height and red hair would still be a dead giveaway.

They didn’t have to wait long for the doctor to call her back.

He asked her about her injury and about the pain, and she did her best to not down play it. And then he examined her feet poking in a few areas that were tender.

“You played three quarters on these?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “I was benched for the fourth quarter.”

“hmm…” He examined them further. “Your coach should have taken you out sooner.”

Riko cringed.

The doctor bandages up her feet and told her to stay off them as much as possible for two weeks. No intense physical activity, no running, no jumping, rest as much as possible. That meant that she wouldn’t be playing in the next two games that would determine if Seirin would go to nationals.

* * *

 

The following week was rough. Resting was much more difficult than Kagami had realized. She wanted to be up and running or at least practicing with the team. But Kuroko and Riko were reminding her constantly to keep off her feet.

Word about her injury spread quickly around the school. Like many at the game, some said that her injury was due to her being a girl. Others said she had been faking it to be taken out of a game that Seirin was losing. Worst were those that said that she wasn’t as good as many had thought.

Kagami did her best to ignore it, not wanting to make things worse. She had been worried that the faculty would decide that she shouldn’t be on the boy’s team and make her resign from the club.

 Hyuga came to her defense once and was promptly escorted away by a teacher who thought he was about to start a fist fight. Riko later yelled at him at practice for being stupid and that they couldn’t afford to have another starter benched for the next two games.

And Riko also got some backlash. Students talked about her being irresponsible for keeping Kagami in the game that long and that she lacked proper judgement to coach. She was on edge all week especially at practice.

* * *

 

That weekend they had a game. If they could win the next two they would still go to nationals and Kagami’s injury would be healed by then. The next two teams had no generation of miracles so Hyuga, Kuroko, Izuki, Mitobe, Tsuchida, and Koganei may be able to handle it.

Kagami didn’t want to attend the game, not after overhearing those comments after Touou. But she wanted to support her team, so she resolved that she would just put up with any comments or stares while sitting on the bench.

The game, unfortunately, was a disaster. Kuroko’s passes were all over the place and the upper classmen were still affected by the loss against Touou.

Riko sat next to her stressed out. She’d do her best to give the others advice, but they trouble executing anything she suggested. Hyuga kept missing threes, twice Izuki made a pass that was intercepted by the other team, Mitobe kept missing blocks, Tsuchida and Koganei missed their shots and passes. It was a mess.

The game dragged. The end of the first quarter felt like it should have been halftime. Kagami wanted to be out on that court and hated that she had an injury…

The team went back out to the court for the second quarter.

Kagami watched gripping her knees and holding her head low.

“Hey don’t feel bad.” Furihata was next to her and must have noticed that she was distressed.

“Huh?” She eyed him.

“You and Kuroko are the reason that the team got this far… I just sit on the bench.” He laughed.

She forced a smile. “It still sucks.”

“Yeah it does…” Fukuda said. “And I heard what others were saying at school… just ignore them, they don’t know what they’re talking about.” He was referring to the things that were said about her and Riko.

“Easier said than done.”

“And if this doesn’t work out.” Kawahara began. “There’s always the winter cup.”

Koganei laughed. “You first years are so sweet… and optimistic. But yeah, don’t worry Kagami, it’s not fair of us to rely on you and Kuroko to win.”

She relaxed a little, at the very least happy that the team still supported her including the third string.

“Um…” Furihata spoke his face getting red. “If we lose this game and the next… we can’t compete in nationals… are we doing to have to confess?” He eyed the ground.

Kagami smirked, having forgotten about that. “If we do just confess to me.”

“What!” Furihata said louder than intended and lowered his voice. “You?”

“Yeah… I’ll know what you’re doing, so I won’t look. It’ll be easy.”

Riko looked over and frowned. “It’s not supposed to be easy.”

“Yeah but…” Furihata’s face got even redder. “It’s still embarrassing.”

“Would you rather confess to your actual crush or some random girl?” Kagami raised her eye brow.

“Um no…”

“So there you go, confess to me… all of you can actually.” She almost laughed at the very thought of it. The entire Seirin basketball club lining up to give her a fake confession.

Riko groaned. “Maybe I should make a rule that they can’t confess to Kagami.”

“But what if Kagami is their crush?” Koganei winked.

She thought for a moment. “Um well…”

Koganei then turned his attention to Kagami. “But who would you confess to?”

Kagami thought for a moment and then grinned. She pointed at Riko. “Her.”

“What!” Everyone on the bench said at once.

“Kagami!” Riko yelled having almost falling out of her chair. She pulled herself together once she saw Kagami laughing. “And by the way, no you won’t have to do a naked confession if we lose the Inter high, not when one of us is injured… as for the Winter Cup… well I hear it’s going to be cold so you guys better win!”

The other boys cringed.

“Kagami…” Koganei spoke. “Please get better.”

Kagami laughed. That dumb conversation made the game a little more tolerable.

In the end, Seirin lost 79-78. The upper classmen and Kuroko were completely numb as they walked back to the bench.

“Hey, you guys did fine.” Kagami tried to cheer them up. But seeing that they lost by one point, she knew that they could have won if she and Kuroko had been playing together.

She handed Kuroko a towel and he sat next to her with his face in his hands.

The next game wasn’t any better. Seirin lost again ending any hope for nationals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW, Kuroko will not be the last person to wear Kagami's clothes ;) I hope everyone is okay with Kuroko and Kagami being on a first name basis now. I always wondered why this never happened in the story.
> 
> I read up on Kagami's biography and it said that he had a father and no mother, and that his father travels for business. So she basically lives alone. I've come up with a backstory for this that will come up later. 
> 
> My friend and I joked that in order to be good at basketball in this universe, you had to have terrible parents. Because Kagami, Akashi, and as for the others, we never see their parents attend the games. In the Winter Cup final, like everyone's family was attending except Kuroko and Kagami's. (Though Kiyoshi said his grandparents were too old.) Which yeah if Kuroko's parents suck, that makes the Teiko arc all the more sadder.
> 
> So for our next ship:
> 
> Kagami x Aomine
> 
> Their biggest shipper: Kuroko. Kuroko is thrilled that his two lights found love with each other. In fact, when he first met Kagami his first thought was wondering what Aomine would think of her. 
> 
> When do they become a couple: After Aomine loses to Seirin, he'll start finding excuses to play a one on one with her... and eventually because the two are too stuborn to admit it, they'll start screwing. They won't become an official until about the middle of second year.
> 
> What I like about them: Okay when I first started liking the idea of Fem Kagami... it was after searching Aokaga and coming across Aomine x Fem Kagami fan art. I looked at it, thought "Yeah, Aomine and Fem Kagami would make a good couple" then I started imagining the story with Kagami as a girl... and then came this fic. But other than that I do like these two. I like the idea of Aomine falling in love with a girl that doesn't have big boobs, and having him be so confused by this. They both have a lot in common (basketball lol) and yet have enough differences that they wouldn't be a complete mirror of each other. Kagami could also kind of get him, basketball was getting to easy for her on the girls team. (This is after his character development) (And strangely enough, I've found that through writing this fic Fem Kagami has the same struggle as each of the GOM minus Midorima) But yeah I do like these two.
> 
> If not each other: Well I'm a big Aokuro shipper, I love angsty break ups and make ups. I also both seriously and jokingly ship him with Riko. I think it could be a very entertaining ship. I mean just imagine their arguements, talking about basketball and Aomine being introduced to her father... I feel like of all the GOM Aomine is the last one Kagetora would want to date his daughter. (But from time to time I dabble into Riko x GOM becuase originally she didn't want to coach Seirin because she knew what second year would be like with them as opponents)
> 
> Gonna hold off on doing Kagami x Momoi until after the next Touou game. You'll see why.


	12. Girls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got this one finished pretty quickly, it's a non essential chapter and kind of an odd one.

Kagami sat outside the basketball courts near her apartment texting Kuroko. She had three days left before she could play again, but after their last three losses, the courts were not appealing in the least bit. Even the sound of others dribbling and shooting the ball annoyed her and brought back memories of not being able to keep up with Aomine.

It was also a reminder that would be more games that weekend that her team wouldn’t get to play and that their hope for winning nationals and being the best in the country really was gone.

She rested her chin in her hands, ready to get up and go back inside.

“Kagami!” A voice called out to her.

Kagami looked up from her phone. Five girls from Kaijo’s basketball club were walking towards her.

“Um hey...” She greeted. “You’re over on this side of the city?” Their school was far from their apartment and she couldn’t imagine that they had traveled so far just to see her.

“We had a practice game over this way, and we just happened to see you.” The girl she knew that was the captain sat next to her. “How are you feeling?”

Kagami laughed. “Like I never want to play basketball again.”

“Huh?” the girl tilted her head. “Well I meant your feel but why don’t you want to play basketball… it’s not because of that loss right?”

Kagami scoffed. “Did you see the Touou game?” She folded her arms. “And apparently it’s my fault that we lost and that I only got injured because I’m a girl.”

The girl frowned “Oh come on, those boys are dumb, no one has been able to beat Aomine and you played better than any of the other teams.”

She looked at Kagami’s feet. “And as for your injury, I’m a third year, I’ve seen guys on Kaijo’s boys team that had injury’s way less severe than you and were begging to be taken out of a game.” She paused.  “Like I said, those boys are dumb, they’ll say anything to discredit you because they don’t want to admit that a girl is better than them.”

Kagami smiled. “Thanks… um…” She felt her face redden as she realized that she didn’t know the girls name.

“Kanzaki.” She said. “But yeah…. You’ll win next time. And we’ll be cheering for you.” She gave a thumbs up.

“Thank you.” She said suddenly feeling better about everything. Maybe it was that she hadn’t completely let them down, after all, they had been supporting her from the start.

“Kagami.” Another girl spoke. She was much quieter than the captain. “We wanted to know if you’d come and watch our game tomorrow, I mean… if you’re not busy and only if you want to.” The girl looked down, like she was mortified for thinking that Kagami would want to watch their game.

Kagami wasn’t busy. Riko had given the team the week off and Kagami still had three days before she could play again. Their team did watch many of her games, sometimes traveling very far distances, and it might be nice to watch a game, especially one where she wouldn’t run into anyone who played in the boy’s league.

“Yeah I’ll be there.” 

* * *

 

“Hey Tetsuya.” Kagami said as they started to eat their lunch. As always, Kagami gave him some of her food. It was now habit for her to make extra every night.

Kuroko looked up at her after taking a bite.

“The girls at Kaijo invited me to watch their basketball game and I really don’t want to go there alone,” She began. “Would you mind going with me?”

Kuroko tilted his head. “They wanted you to go, would they mind if I was there?”

“No, it should be fine, we’re only watching.” Kagami said. “And… I don’t think they’d see you anyway.”

“Then I’ll go.”

“Thank you!” She said smiling and relieved. Walking through that campus would have been intimidating enough, but to run into anyone from the Kaijo team… she didn’t want to have to face any of them alone considering that a revenge match had been planned between Seirin and Kaijo.

When school ended, they went straight to the bus, knowing that it would be a long ride. Once they sat down, Kuroko pulled out his cell phone and started to text. He was soon into another long conversation.

“Um…” Kagami looked over.

“Sorry,” Kuroko said. “I’m texting Kise-kun, I’m letting him know that we’ll be at his school.”

“Huh why!” She knew he would not miss the chance to meet up with her and Kuroko, and the Touou game would likely be brought up.

“Do you remember how to get to the gym?”

She sat back in her seat, sulking but knew Kuroko was right. Kaijo’s campus was huge and if Kise hadn’t shown Seirin the way to the gym last time, they would have gotten lost.

Kuroko showed her their conversation.

_Kuroko: Kise-kun, Kagami and I will be at your school today._

_Kise: What! Kurokocchi and Kagamicchi are coming to see me at my school!_

_Kuroko: No we’re going to watch the girl’s basketball game._

_Kise: What! Now I’m sad! :’(_

_Kuroko: We need help getting to the gym._

_Kise: I’ll meet you at the entrance. What time?_

_Kuroko: We’ll be there in an hour._

_Kise: I have to wait a whole hour!_

_Kuroko: Kise calm down we’re just there to watch a basketball game._

Kagami finished reading the texts. “You’re a little blunt with him don’t you think? Do you even like him?”

To Kagami, it seemed like Kise only annoyed Kuroko. And as far as she was concerned, Kise was the most pleasant of the miracles she had met so far.

Kuroko nodded. “He’s a good friend, but he’s also my rival.”

“You’re rival?”

“He joined the basketball club his second year and I was his mentor. He had joined many clubs because he’s good a nearly everything he tries… and I thought he would get bored and quit… but he stayed on the team and took my spot as a starter.”

“I see.” Kagami said.  

“But in my third year, he was the only one I was still passing to.” Kuroko said.

“I’m surprised you didn’t go to Kaijo with him.” Kagami sat back in her seat. If Kuroko really wanted to beat the generation of miracles, to her it made the most sense to go with the one he still got along with and they might have been able to win against Aomine. But it would have been a nightmare playing against those two.

Kuroko shook his head. “I wanted to go to Seirin. And Kise never would have changed if he kept winning.”

* * *

 

The nearest stop to Kaijo was a block away from the school. Kuroko kept his eyes on her as they walked and Kagami knew he was monitoring her for any signs of pain. Her feet were still a little sore but no where near as bad as the previous two weeks.

 Kise met them at the entrance.

“Kurokocchi! Kagamicchi!” He waved as he ran to greet them. His eyes went right to Kagami and he stopped and stared at her, looking her up and down.

Kagami took a step back. “Um what are you doing?”

“Oh sorry!” He put his hand behind his head. “You’re just in your school uniform and I’ve never seen you wear something like that.”

She knew what he meant. She was dressed like a girl. Any other time Kise had seen her she was in gym clothes, or a basketball uniform, and usually out of breath and covered in sweat.

She gave a nervous laugh, becoming aware of how short that skirt was on her. She reached down and pressed it against her legs.

“Kagamicchi, you had to walk far to get here right?” Kise must not have noticed her discomfort.

“Yeah but don’t worry I’m fine,” She said grateful for the change in conversation.

“Um Taiga… You really should rest.” Kuroko said, still saying her first name quietly.

“Taiga!” Kise eyes widened.

“Tetsuya I’m fine, I can sit when we get to the gym.”

“Tetsuya…” Kise looked between them.

But then Kise shook his head. “The gym is across campus. Come sit down over here.” He grabbed her hand and led her over to a bench. “There was still about an hour till the game anyway, and I don’t get to see you guys that much.” He grinned.

She and Kuroko sat on either side of him. She never quite understood his feelings towards Kuroko, if they were romantic or not, but then he had asked her out on a date and said he would again after Kaijo beat Seirin… but Seirin was now out of the Inter High.

“I was surprised that you two came to watch the girl’s play.” Kise commented. “And not my game.” He pouted.

“Kise-kun, you’re not playing till Saturday and your game will be on the other side of Tokyo.” Kuroko said.

“Yeah that’s true.” He laughed.

“The girls asked me to watch their game.” Kagami explained and then she got an idea. “You should come and watch with us.” Now that she was talking to him, she wanted to spend more time with him. He wasn’t at all what she had expected when he had first arrived at Seirin’s gym surrounded by all those girls.

“Huh?” Kise looked at her. “The girls game?”

“Trust me… they would love it.” She suddenly remembered that he was a model. “Actually, the other team probably would too.”

“Um… okay I’ll go.” Then he grinned. “So I will get to spend more time with you two today!”

There was something else she wanted to ask and had hoped that he would bring it up first. “By the way…” She stopped and breathed. “Are you going to ask me out on that date?”

Kise looked at her confused.

“You said you would ask me out after Kaijo beat Seirin. We didn’t make it to nationals so technically, we lost.”

Kise shook his head. “No not until we beat you in a game. Otherwise it will just feel like I’m cheating.”

She eyed the ground a little disappointed at his response. Not that she had time for a boyfriend but one date might have been nice… she gripped the end of her skirt and frowned.

_No I won’t fall for him._

Kagami had sworn to her self that she wouldn’t when they first met. People like him annoyed her and she wouldn’t be one of those people that flocked to him and begged him for his autograph or a date. But he just had to be so pretty and so likable.

The hour passed and Kise led them to the gym. It was different from the one where they played their practice game and much smaller. They found a seat in the stands near the front. It wasn’t hard to do considering that most of the seats were empty and the only people that came to watch were either friends of the girls on the team and a few parents.

The girls were already warming up. Kaijo was practicing their lay ups, most easily making them. She then eyed their opponents.

“They’re playing Touou…” Kagami said getting flashbacks of her game against them. “I wonder how their girls’ team compares to the boys.”

“It all depends on if they have someone like Aominecchi.”

Kagami watched and didn’t see anyone do any fancy street ball moves. Then she silently laughed and wondered in that girl would just show up at the end of the second quarter.

One of the girls on Touou noticed that she was watching and pointed at them. “Hey It’s Kagami!” She shouted and another waved.

 Kagami recognized the waving girl her instantly and she awkwardly waved back.

 “Oh no.”

“What?” Kise asked.

“I know that girl.” Kagami pointed. “She was on my middle school team… and now I don’t know who to cheer for.” The girl’s name was Tomoe and they had been friends. But she hadn’t seen her since graduation.

“Yeah I guess that would be hard.” Kise said.

“If it were two of your friends who would you cheer for?”

Kise laughed. “Neither of them… unless it was you and Kurokocchi.”

“Uh…” She wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “So during that last game and Shutoku…”

“Yeah I wanted Seirin to win.” Kise smiled. “Especially against Aominecchi… it will really help him if he loses.”

Kagami put her head down. “Oh…”

Kise put his hands up. “Hey I didn’t mean it like that!…. You did your best!… Aominecchi is just very good.”

“You’re going to play him soon right?” Kagami eyed him. She really didn’t like talking about Aomine.

“Yeah as long as we don’t lose any games… we’ll play Touou in a few weeks…”

She had no doubt that Kaijo would win their next few games with Kise on the team. “Don’t lose against him.”

Kise sighed. “I’ll try, we used to play one on one every day in middle school and I could never beat him.”

“Can’t you copy him?” She then remembered that he couldn’t copy any of the generation of miracles. But if he had played that many one on ones against Aomine… then maybe.

Kise shook his head. “I’ve tried. And anything that I can is nowhere near as good as him.”

“Then keep practicing.” She said focusing on the court. The game was about to start. Kagami didn’t care who beat Aomine, she just wanted someone to. And in the interhigh he was likely to face other generation of miracles… but he had been their ace… could any of them beat him? She’d have to ask Kuroko more about the other two.

Kaijo got the ball after the tip off. One of the girls went to score but was blocked by Touou’s center.

“Aw that was close.” Kise seemed a little disappointed and kept his eyes on the game.

The center passed to another girl and she ran to the other side of the court. She shot the basketball, but it missed. Kaijo got the rebound and brought the ball to the other end of the court. The point guard passed to the shooting guard and she shot and scored a three.

“Hey, Kaijo is in the lead!” Kise cheered.

“Go girls!” Kagami yelled choosing not to take either side.

The game continued. Kaijo was in the lead but Touou wasn’t far behind.

“Hey they’re pretty good!” Kise commented after Kaijo scored more points.  

“Well last year they did get second place in nationals.” Kagami said.

“What really!”

“Yeah you didn’t know?” Kagami eyed him.

“We don’t really hear about them.”

“You know my middle school won nationals last year.” She didn’t know why she felt the need to bring that up. Maybe because he was on Teiko and she felt the need to let him know that her school had also won.

“Because of you right?” Kise looked at her.  

Kagami blushed, not wanting to take all the credit. “Yeah I guess I helped.”

Kise laughed. “You were probably so much taller than the rest of your team.”

“I was… the next tallest only came to my shoulders.”

Kise’s eyes widened. “Could anyone score against you?”

Kagami nodded. “I was good at blocking, but the girls could still score.” She shrugged. “I played center but I prefer to play power forward. That’s what I played in America.”

“Huh? Why not in America?”

“In America there was a girl on my team that was taller than me.”

“What really!”

The game continued. Kagami focused on Tomoe. She was shooting threes and they were much more consistent than they had been the previous year. Touou was good but Kaijo worked better together. Their plays were smooth and the team was more in sync.

It was fun to watch, and it made Kagami want to play again. In her mind, she’d come up with plays against each team and suddenly wanted to be out there playing with them.

Kise also seemed to be enjoying the game. He’d cheer for Kaijo anytime one of the girl’s scored.

Kuroko… it was hard to read him because he didn’t show much emotion, but he kept his attention on the game and Kagami could only assume that he was enjoying it.

In the end, Kaijo won by five points.

After the lineup, Kagami went to greet the girls.  She glanced over at Touou as the Kaijo girls surrounded her.

“Thank you for coming Kagami!” Kanzaki threw her arms around her followed by the other girls.

Touou walked over to her, Tomoe leading them. They stood away from Kaijo, until they were no longer crowded around Kagami.

“Um Kagami…” Tomoe walked up to her.

“Hey Tomoe,” Kagami greeted a little embarrassed that she was there for Kaijo and not her team. “You played a good game today. You’ve really improved this year.”

She smiled. “Yeah… but I hated that you had to see us lose.” She looked down.

Kagami put her hand on her shoulder. “Hey don’t feel bad, I lost the last game that I played.”

Tomoe looked at her. “You were up against Aomine… and I thought you did pretty good.”

“So you saw that game.” Kagami blinked. It seemed like everyone that had anything to do with basketball had gone to that game.

She nodded. “Yeah when I heard that you were on the boys’ team I had to see you play.”

“And unfortunately, you watched that game.” Kagami sighed.

“No I also watched the game before that one. You were really good! I knew you’d be able to keep up with the boys!”

Kagami smiled, relieved that she had at least seen a game where she wasn’t completely out matched. Especially after how she had dominated in middle school the previous year.  

“Hey is that Kise Ryouta!” one of the girls on Touou squealed.

Kise and Kuroko had been standing away from Kagami when she went to talk to the girls. But once Kise was pointed out, several girls from Touou ran and surrounded him. None of them noticed Kuroko.

Tomoe looked at her and grinned. “Is he your boyfriend!”

Kagami’s face got red. “No we’re just friends!” Thankfully Kise was surrounded by too many girls all talking at once to overhear.

“You lucky to have him as a friend.” Tomoe walked over to Kise.

Kagami looked over at him. His face was different from it’s usual excited state. It was now calm and he had a small disinterested smile as he signed autographs.

“One at a time.” He said barely looking at them and even sounded a little cold. It was like he became someone she didn’t know.

“Will you go out with me!”

“Sorry I’d love to, but I can’t play favorites with my fans.”

Touou’s coach then ordered them to get their stuff and that their bus would be leaving soon. Kagami said goodbye to both teams and she, Kuroko, and Kise left the gym. Kise had planned to walk them to the bus stop.

Kagami stopped him outside the gym. “Um what the hell was that back there?”

“What do you mean?” Kise asked.

“The way you were with the girls… I had no idea who that was.”

Kise laughed. “Oh that’s just my public image.”

“I don’t like it.” Kagami folded her arms. “I liked it better when you’re friendly with everyone.”

“Me too.” Kuroko added.

Kise held up his hands. “Hey I don’t have enough time for all of them… and I can’t date them all.”

Kagami remembered when they first met. He wasn’t like that with her, but then again she didn’t exactly run up to him with an autograph. She had challenged him to a game.

They continued to walk reaching the end of campus. Foot steps approached quickly from behind.

“Kise!” Kasamatsu’s voice called out. “Where the hell have you been!”

 “Senpai?” Kise turned to face him.

Kasamatsu stopped in front of them red faced. “You were supposed to help clean the gym today!”

 “Oh no I forgot! I’m so sorry!” Kise, intimidated, backed up a little bit. “But Kurokocchi and Kagamicchi were here and I was going to help them find the gym...”

Kasamatsu eyed Kuroko a little startled and then Kagami. He stared at her just as Kise had earlier.

“Kagami how is your injury?” He finally asked.

“It’s a lot better.” But now that he brought it us, she did feel a little pain in her feet and legs.

“That’s good to hear.” Kasamatsu was now walking with them to the bus stop. “It looks like we’re going to have to wait until the Winter Cup to play Seirin… but it can’t be helped.”

“Yeah.” Kagami hung her head. “Sorry about that.”

“No don’t feel bad, Touou is a strong team… I’m a little worried about playing them. This is the last year I get to play for this team.”

Kise stopped, prompting the others to do the same. He put his hand on Kasamatsu’s shoulder. “I’ll do my best against Aomine.” Although the way he spoke, it was obvious that he was still unsure.

They reached the bus stop and said their goodbyes.

* * *

 

Kagami rested her head on her desk the morning before class started. She had been up way too late the night before watching basketball videos online. The game really had given her motivation to play again and it was going to be difficult for her to wait two days to play again. It was even tempting to shoot threes outside… but the memory of what happened last time was enough to convince her not to.

“Kagami…” one of the girls from her class approached.

Kagami looked up. “Hmm?”

“Can you explain this.” The girl held out her phone. “It this true?”

Kagami lifted her head, looked at the screen and gasped. On her phone was a picture of her and Kise at the game with the caption. “They’re on a date?!?!?!”

“I didn’t know someone took our picture!” She read it again. “And no, we’re not dating! We’re just friends!” Looking closer she noticed that it was taken at an angle where Kuroko couldn’t be seen.

“It went viral last night.” The girl said. “And sure… Kise just decided to go watch a basketball game with you.”

“Kuroko was there too!” She said but the girl had already walked off. She buried her face into her hands. Just how many people at her school had seen that picture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the OCs weren't too unbearable. I try to use characters from the show as much as possible but I needed a girl to talk to Kagami about the Touou game and... well Riko wasn't in the best state of mind to do so, and Momoi... would have been kind of weird because she's on Touou's team. I also thought that since the girls are watching Kagami's games that she should do something for them.
> 
> Threw in Kise to have more Kise and Kagami bonding. Those two are so easy to write together.
> 
> Fem Kagami will finally meet Kiyoshi next chapter.
> 
> EDIT: Almost forgot this.
> 
> I'm saving Momoi for later. So right now we'll do:
> 
> Kagami x Riko
> 
> Their biggest shipper: Kagetora. He's happy that a boy won't be taking his daughter away. But Seirin's team is very supportive. Hyuga was a little sad at first but is eventually happy for them.
> 
> When do they become a couple: Kagami's third year. After Riko graduates and she's not dating a teammate.
> 
> What I like about them: They're already like an old married couple. I always figured that Riko would marry an a very talented athlete and Kagami fits that. The two I think would just work well together. They both love basketball, they both want their team to be the best, they support each other because they're both women in a boys game. Riko can keep Kagami in line. 
> 
> If not each other: I'm a big shipper of Riko x Hyuga, Riko x Kiyoshi, and OT3ing Riko, Hyuga, and Kiyoshi. Any combination of that I'd be happy with. I also have a guilty pleasure ship of Aoriko that I wrote about in last chapter's notes.


	13. Kiyoshi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I can't believe I got this one out so quick. I guess it helps to be on spring break and it is a shorter chapter. I can't promise that the next ones will come out this quick but you never know. But Kiyoshi is finally in this story.

Kagami put her legs up against the weight machine and pushed, feeling the strain. It was a little more than she was used to lifting but she pushed through it, determined to strengthen her legs.

“Kagami not like that.” Riko’s dad Kagetora said. He sat in the identical machine next to her and demonstrated again.

Kagami adjusted her self and started he reps over. It was a little harder, but she pushed through.

For the past week, she had been working out at Kagetora’s gym under his supervision to help strengthen her legs and feet. He had also given her exercises that she could do at home.  

Towards the end of her set, she broke out into a sweat and the last five seemed almost impossible.

“Come on you can do it.” Riko sat next doing her own reps with free weights. “Think of how much higher you’ll be able to jump.”

Kagami pushed though the last five and then rested her legs. She grabbed the towel next to her and patted her face.

“Good job.” Kagetora said patting her shoulder. “I couldn’t believe it at first when Riko said that a girl in her first year was now Seirin’s ace… but I saw some videos of the games… and I am very impressed.”

He grabbed his water bottle and took a drink. “You know, I wish I could have been there to see Takeuchi and Nakatani’s faces after they lost to Seirin. I wonder how they felt after a team with a girl beat their boys.” Kagetora laughed.

“You know them?” Kagami eyed Kagetora.

He nodded. “We played together on Japan’s national team years ago… Harasawa was also on the team.”

“Touou’s coach?” Kagami frowned.

“Yeah… I didn’t know he was coaching until Riko told me about that game. But it doesn’t surprise me that he would have a team like that.” Kagetora looked at his watch. “Kagami, keep lifting, I’ll be back soon.”

Once Kagetora lift, Kagami pulled off her shirt, wearing only a sports bra on top. Riko watched unable to take her eyes off her.

“I hope you don’t mind.” Kagami dropped her shirt to the floor. “But I’m really sweaty right now and it’s just more comfortable this way.” She had worked out in her sports bra at other gyms but had felt a little uncomfortable about pulling her shirt off in front of Riko’s dad, who would be analyzing her the same way Riko did with the team.  

“No it’s fine!” Riko blushed. “It just… I still can’t believe your abs… and your arms… I’ve never seen that on a girl in high school.”

Kagami grinned and picked up the free weights and started to do bicep curls. She wouldn’t admit it but she liked showing off her toned body.

“Did you increase those weights!”

Kagami nodded. “A little.”

“You know… most of the guy on the team would be jealous if they knew how much you could lift.”

Kagami smirked. “Most?”

“Yeah, which reminds me.” Riko set her weights down and pulled out her cell phone and started to text.

It didn’t take long for her to receive a reply. She read it, smiled and eagerly texted back.

“Are you talking to Hyuga?” Kagami asked finishing her reps. She had always suspected that Hyuga had feelings for her but she wasn’t sure if Riko returned them.

“No, Kiyoshi actually, he said that he’ll be back on the team next week!”

Kagami walked over to a machine that would strengthen her ankles. “Who’s Kiyoshi?”

“Oh that’s right, you first years haven’t met him. He was our ace last year… and the guy who started Seirin’s basketball club.”

She stopped just before stepping on the machine and turned. “So… where was he during the inter high?”

Riko sighed. “He got a very bad knee injury during a game.” She lowered her head.

“Oh…” Kagami had known athletes that had been injured, some that could never play on their school team again. Others had to be in therapy for months. It was always very distressing for them.

“What position did he play?”

“Center… he’s actually a little taller than you.”

“Really?” It did make her a little sad that she’d no longer be the tallest on her team. But if he was their ace last year, it would be good to get another strong player, especially for the Winter Cup.

“If he started the basketball club… why isn’t he the captain?”

Riko shrugged. “He thought Hyuga was better suited… and I think he’s right, Hyuga is better at leading, or at least getting the guys to do what needs to be done.”

“At the end of summer break, we’ll be going to a training camp.” Riko continued changing the subject.

“Yeah at the beach right?” Kagami was already anticipating running on the sand, something that many sports teams did.

Riko nodded. “But it’s not a vacation, we will be practicing most of the day.”

“Yeah of course.” Kagami started her reps on the machine. She had to stop to adjust the weight as it was too light for her.

“And you’ll be sharing a room with me. I don’t know what you would have done if a man had been coaching this team.”

“He probably wouldn’t have let me join… and I figured we’d be sharing.” Then a thought occurred to her. “You’re going to make sure that I go to bed early and that I’m awake on time?”

Riko smiled and nodded. “We need our ace to be strong and well rested.”

* * *

 

It felt good to be back at practice and among the team, although everyone still seemed off from the loss. Hyuga wasn’t making half of his three pointers, Izuki was all over the place, Mitobe just didn’t seem to have the passion he once did… and Kuroko...

He hit the ball towards her… but it was nowhere close enough for her to catch it. Kuroko looked horrified when Kagami returned with the ball that she retrieved.

_Damn it Aomine_

She bounced the ball back to him. “Try again.”

Kuroko passed the ball, she had to run to catch it. Then she ran to the basket and jumped and dunked hard, almost landing on Koganei.

“Hey Kagami watch out!” He said cowering below her.

“Oh sorry.” She said. She wasn’t happy with it either, it was the same shot she always did, one that was easily blocked by Aomine. All week she had been trying to do something new with her technique… but it always ended up being the same.

Kagami looked at the net and frowned, wondering if she had hit her peak. Then she shook her head, there had to be something Alex could teach her. But before she went to America, Seirin would play a few preliminary games that could disqualify them from the Winter Cup.

She was about to toss the ball back to Kuroko, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw a very tall guy walk into the gym.  She took a better look assuming he was Kiyoshi. He had a friendly smile and waved to the second years.

“Kiyoshi!” Izuki exclaimed running over to him. Mitobe, Koganei, and Tsuchida followed.

“It’s about time you returned.” Hyuga huffed and walked over.

Kagami watched as the upper classmen gathered around him.

“Are you sure your knee is healed?” Hyuga asked.

“Yep fully recovered!” Kiyoshi smiled and patted his knee. “I haven’t played basket ball in a very long time so I may be a little rusty… but don’t worry I wasn’t just sitting around all day, I did learn some new skills.”

“What!” Hyuga’s eyes widened. “What did you learn?”

“I learned how to play this card game from a very old man.”

Hyuga swatted him on the back of the head. “What does that have to do with basketball!”

“Nothing, it was just an interesting game.”

Kagami looked at Kuroko who only shrugged. Kiyoshi sure was an interesting guy not at all what Kagami had expected. But he was their ace… there had to be something annoying about him. She waited for the arrogance to come out, and the ego. But it never happened.

Kiyoshi looked over at her and dismissed himself from the other second years. He walked over stopping in front of her. Riko was right, he was slightly taller.

“Kagami right?”

She nodded.

“Riko has told me a lot about you, I think you’re her favorite on this team.” He gave a genuine smile, one that said his words didn’t have any contempt.

She looked down, unsure of what to make of this.

“Hey we should play a one on one!”

“Huh?”

“Riko said that you are Seirin’s new ace, but I’m not ready to give that title up that easy.” He spoke. “I want to play you for it… and” He grinned. “I watched some videos of Seirin’s games this year and you are very good… it would be nice to play against a teammate that could give me a real challenge.”

“Kiyoshi what does that mean!” Hyuga yelled from the sidelines.

Kagami grinned. “All right you’re on.”

“Alright we’ll play to five.”

“What does he have planned?” She barely hard Izuki quietly ask.

Kiyoshi let her have the ball first. She dribbled, and then ran by him to the basket. She jumped to score but Kiyoshi caught up and hit the ball out of her hand before it went into the net.

She looked at him stunned. No one on Seirin had ever blocked her.

Kiyoshi got the ball and ran to the basket, but Kagami blocked. Relieved that she wasn’t outclassed, she ran and grabbed the ball. Kiyoshi ran to guard, but she ran by him. She jumped and dunked hard into the net, and almost afraid that she would break it like she had done at Kaijo.

The one on one continued, and it ended with her winning five to four.

Kiyoshi smiled at her. “Well you got me, the position of ace is yours.”

She nodded breathing heavily. He had given her a good game, and not one that was overwhelming like the three generation of miracles she met would have. Yet there was still that pressure to win… to keep being the ace on the team. And Kiyoshi didn’t seem to mind giving her that title.

“And Kagami.” He continued suddenly more serious yet still friendly. “I’m happy that we have a player like you on our team, we’ll need you for the Winter Cup…. Just don’t hurt your feet again.”

She looked down at them. “Don’t worry, they’re getting stronger… Riko and her dad are helping me.”

“Yes, listen to Riko, she knows what she’s doing… she’ll get you strong.”

It was Riko’s turn to blush. She laughed quietly and looked at the ground. Hyuga eyed her seeming a little jealous.

Kiyoshi then glanced over at Kuroko, who was standing nearby on the sidelines and gasped. “Kuroko… when did you get there?”

“I was here the whole time.”

“Wow really? You really are a phantom!”

Kagami looked between them both. They seemed a little too familiar with each other. “Have you two met?”

Kiyoshi nodded. “Yeah, yesterday I saw him in the gym practicing his shooting.”

Kuroko broke eye contact and stared at the ground.

Kagami glanced at him. She had never seen Kuroko make a basket. He said that he couldn’t and that his strength was only in passing.

“I told him that we didn’t need five people to score.” Kiyoshi said. “Someone who can steal and pass to his team is far more valuable than another scorer.”

“But.” He continued. “I also watched him play in those videos… although it was hard to follow him.” He looked at her and Kuroko. You two play so well together, it was fun to watch.”

She stared at him. This guy really did not act at all like a team’s ace. He was nothing but polite and kind… not that she minded. She had dealt with enough people with huge egos that past year. And with the way he had played her in that one on one, she knew firsthand that he was strong. Maybe they would stand a chance in the Winter Cup.

* * *

 

Kise’s phone had been getting texts all night, from people that wanted to know if he really was dating Kagami. Some were angry, telling him that he deserved someone cuter and more feminine, others were fully supportive and a little excited… even referring to them Kikaga.

Then he got a text from Midorima…

_Midorima: We’re you two really on a date? Not that I care. There were a lot of people at school asking me._

_Kise: No… someone just took a picture of us, she and Kurokocchi were at Kaijo watching a game and they asked me to go with them…_

_Midorima: Oh, Kuroko was there too…_

Midorima didn’t text back. Despite him saying that he didn’t care, Kise knew there was some jealousy. And now he regretted not teasing and telling him that were officially a couple.

And then he got a text from Aomine.

_Aomine: Of course she would pick the pretty boy. Have you fucked her yet?_

_Kise: No you have it all wrong. We weren’t on a date. We were just watching a game, Kurokocchi was with us._

_Aomine: Yeah sure…_

Then he received one from Momoi.

_Momoi: Oh good, I was worried that you were her boyfriend._

_Kise: Huh? You don’t want me to be her boyfriend?_

Momoi didn’t respond.

He set his phone down and breathed. It was exhausting responding to all those texts. Then he received yet another. He picked up his phone and then nearly dropped it. It was from Akashi.

_Akashi: Ryouta I am hearing rumors that you are in a relationship with Seirin’s ace._

_Kise: No… we’re just friends and someone took a picture of us. Kuroko was there too!_

_Akashi: What can you tell me about her? I am aware that you and Shintaro lost a game to her._

He sighed. Akashi had to know that she lost to Aomine and wouldn’t be at threat to him.

_Kise: She’s good, and she and Kuroko play well together. You probably heard that she had an injury._

He really didn’t know what to say especially to Akashi. It was a little odd that he was asking him about her.

_Kise: I think it would be better to ask Momoicchi, I’m sure she has a ton of data on Kagamicchi. Or even Kurokocchi._

_Kise: And why do you care?_

It took a little longer for him to get a response.

_Akashi: It’s just interesting._

He didn’t hear anything more from Akashi and he was left to wonder what it will be like when those two meet.

Kise didn’t get any texts from Murasakibara, but he didn’t expect to. Even if he had heard of her, Murasakibara would not care who she was or if any of the generation of miracles were dating her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that last section was originally labeled "bonus" because it was just meant to be for fun and only included Kise and Midorima. But then I started adding the others. I tried to add Murasakibara but I really don't think he would care. 
> 
> And Kagami, you hate that teams aces are arrogant but you can be that way too lol.


	14. Riko's Cooking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter ready for you. The first part is more bonus and just something fun.

Two classmates lifted Kuroko up onto her back and helped to support him. Headbands were around their foreheads. It was the sports fest and the Calvary battle was about to begin.

The other two students had difficulty keeping Kuroko steady. Kagami adjusted him so that she held all his weight. It would allow them to move faster anyway.

“Alright Tetsuya, I think we’re tall enough that no one should be able to reach our headbands… or at least no one will get yours. Just grab as many as you can.” Kagami said, ready to win this game.

“Right.” Kuroko actually sounded determined to win.

The game started and Kagami carried him to the nearest group.

“Hey wait for us!” The other two on their team ran after them.

Kagami maneuvered around the other teams, watching Kuroko out of the corner of her eye swiping headbands, most of the other students never noticing that they had lost theirs. She avoided other students that tried to take hers, usually just by tilting away.

By the end, they had nearly every headband, scoring the most points and winning the game.

“What the hell!” One classmate yelled. “I didn’t even see that guy!”

“Was he in the game the entire time?”

“He was on top of that tall girl! I didn’t notice him!”

“That match up is not fair!”

“That’s the girl that was on that date with Kise Ryouta!”

“What! That’s the kind of girl he’s in to! No way!”

 “It’s Kagami and Kuroko from the basketball team.” Fukada said both with pride and annoyance. “I can’t believe they even work well together with the Calvary battle!”

Ignoring all the comments, Kagami set Kuroko on the ground. She held out her arm into a fist bump. He smiled and returned it.

* * *

 

The next day at school, Hyuga called an impromptu meeting during lunch… without Riko’s knowledge. The team met outside, the same place they did during the beginning of the school year.

“As you know,” Hyuga began giving off a very professional air. “We’ll be going to our first training camp next week… and we will be staying at a very cheap inn.” He paused and shuddered. “And the inn doesn’t come with any meals…”

“That means…” Koganei shrunk up.

“Yes… coach will be making us our meals.” Hyuga finished.

Tsuchida looked as though he were about to start weeping. “We’re going to die.”

“Her cooking hasn’t improved this year?” Kiyoshi spoke shaking. Kagami had only ever seen him as a kind happy person, it was a little alarming to see him in distress. Riko’s cooking must be far worse than she had ever imagined.

“Not at all!” Hyuga said loudly getting the attention of others nearby. “She tried to feed us whole lemons soaked in honey!”

“So what do we do?” Izuki asked.

An easy solution occurred to Kagami. “Why don’t I just do the cooking?”

The other first years looked at her, relieved and nodded. Everyone on the team, except for Kiyoshi, had tasted Kagami’s food. Usually it was during lunch, where someone had forgotten to pack theirs and she’d share.

“Kagami, that won’t be possible!” Hyuga shot her down. “Do you have any idea how intense this training camp with be!”

She shrugged. “Yeah… but I can do a little more work if it means that my food will taste good.” She looked over at Mitobe, knowing that he cooked for his eleven siblings every morning and wondered if he would help her. They could always alternate days.

The first years all hung their heads, and a look of hopelessness was now in their eyes.

“You won’t be able to stand by the end of the day!”

“And believe me,” Hyuga continued. “I really wish you could.”

At that moment, Riko walked up behind Hyuga grinning. The second years all cowered and Hyuga tilted his head, unaware of who was behind him.

“Hyuga…. Are you talking about my cooking?” The forced smile remained on her face.

“What!” He jumped up and turned to face Riko. “No of course not!”

“I only make meals that will make you guys stronger.” She stuck out her lower lip.

“You could at least make them edible!” He seemed to realize that there was no convincing her that he wasn’t talking about her cooking.

“What! All my meals are edible!”

Kagami frowned. Nothing was getting solved and she was concerned about the food situation at the camp.

“Hey!” She interrupted their argument and got both their attentions. She eyed Riko. “Why don’t you come over to my apartment and I’ll should you how to make a few things.”

“Kagami you’d do that?” Riko blinked.

“Yeah… I would like to survive this training camp.”

Riko frowned. “Alright… can I come over tonight?”

Kagami nodded.

“Kagami you saved us!” Koganei threw his arms around her.

“I’m so happy that you’re on this team.” Izuki smiled and put his hand on her shoulder.

Mitobe nodded.

* * *

 

The ingredients left to add were laid out in front of them. So far, cooking that night had gone smoothly. Chicken was simmering with onions, garlic, carrots and peppers and soaked in several spices.

Riko grabbed an apple and brought it over to the cutting board about to chop it.

“No, not there!” Kagami reached out her hand to stop her.

“Huh? Why?” Riko looked at her.

“Because we’re not cooking that, and you used that board to cut up the chicken! Never put anything you don’t plan to cook on the same surface where you had raw chicken!” It was such obvious knowledge for Kagami.

“Oh…”

Kagami sighed. Riko really could kill them with her cooking.

Riko grabbed another cutting board and a clean knife and began to chop. A little too fast for Kagami’s comfort.

“Um… be careful not to cut your finger.” She said. “You might want to slow down.”

“But I won’t have a lot of time at the camp.”

“Maybe… but no one wants a severed finger in their snack.” That would have been the horror of horrors for the team. Nothing Riko had ever made previously would compare to finding a body part in their food.

Riko slowed and almost looked in pain at the pace she was going.

She finished the apple. Kagami handed her the cloves. “Add these now.”

Riko read the next step of the recipe and then grabbed a table spoon.

“No that’s way too much!” Kagami put her hand on her head. Riko always wanted to add more spices than necessary. “A teaspoon not tablespoon!”

“I just want it to have more flavor.” Riko shrugged.

“If you add that much it will be way too strong.  You need to follow the recipe exact.”

That wasn’t exactly true, but she did not want to encourage Riko to get creative in the kitchen, not after the upper classmen had described the disasters she had made in the past. Kagami never really deviated from a recipe anyway. Now Himuro, he could always improve upon them with just a little tweaking. Her mouth started to water as she remembered the food he would make.

“Can we add this?” Riko grabbed the nutmeg. “It smells good.”

“No, don’t add anything unnecessary.”

No wonder she was terrible at cooking.

Once all the ingredients were added, all that was left to do as to cover and simmer. Kagami sat back and fanned herself off. It was the third meal they had made that week and so far the first two had gone well… but only because Kagami supervised the whole process. She was a little worried about Riko cooking on her own during the camp.

“Um… thank you for showing me how to do this.” Riko sat next to her.

“It’s no big deal, I’d have to make myself dinner anyway… and I don’t want food to be the reason we don’t survive the camp.”

“Kagami…” Riko glared at her.

When the timer went off, Kagami lifted the lid. So far it smelled good. She made two plates and gave one to Riko. And it tasted good. The rest of the team would be happy.

* * *

 

On the Friday before they left for the camp, the team gathered in a classroom kitchen to sample the food. Riko made curry without Kagami’s help. She was filling bowls with food as the team entered and distributed it to them.

Kagami eagerly took a bite… but then nearly spat it out.  The rest of her team had the same reaction. The food was bitter… so bitter. And with the ingredients used, that shouldn’t have been possible.

“This is awful!” Hyuga yelled dropping his fork back onto the plate. “Kagami didn’t you help her!”

“I did!” Kagami held out her hands not wanting to take the blame for whatever Riko had created. “I don’t know what happened, she did fine last night!”

“Kagami… I did exactly what you showed me!”

“Did you follow the recipe?” Kagami eyed her.

“Yes!”

“Well something must have gone wrong because this is not how this should taste!” She pointed to the food.

Then she noticed that the rest of the team was staring at Kiyoshi. He was taking bite after bite of the food, doing his best to hide his disgust. Hyuga watching him, started to do the same.

“Wow, our senpais really are gentlemen.” Furihata commented and then poked at his food. He looked as though he might try it and then he nearly gagged.

Kiyoshi took the last bite and then set his bowl.

“Riko, thank you for the meal.” He force a smile, and then stood up and walked out the room.

“Wow he finished it!” Izuki commented.

Then Hyuga took his last bite, set his bowl down and folded his arms as if he were proud of himself.

“Hyuga…” Riko said almost blushing.

But then he stood up and ran towards the trash. “I’m sorry I can’t!” He started throwing up, heaving violently.

Riko groaned.

“I’ll be right back.” Izuki said standing up. He walked out the door. “What! Kiyoshi is out here laying on the floor! I think you killed him!”

“Kiyoshi” Riko ran to his side.

Kagami sat back in her chair wondering how the food turned out so bad. Looking at the food nothing odd seemed to have been added and she couldn’t quite place that bitter taste. Still, she was hungry and it was tempting to force herself to eat it.

She glanced at Kuroko and her eyes widened when she saw him eating the curry.

“Hey Tetsuya, you don’t need to eat that.” She reached over to grab the bowl.

Kuroko moved it out of her reach. “Mine tastes good.” He took another bite.

Kagami frowned. “Are your taste buds dead? Stop eating that.”

“No it’s fine. It tastes exactly like yours.”

Kagami titled her head. There was no way that food tasted like anything she had ever made.

“Wait a minute…” Tsuchida spoke. “Kuroko… didn’t Riko forget to make you a plate?”

He nodded. “She didn’t see me so I got my own.”

Tsuchida walked up to the pot and put a little in a clean bowl and then tasted it. 

His eyes got wide. “It is good!”

Koganei, Mitobe, and the other first years all went up and tasted it.

“It’s normal!” All except for Mitobe declared.

Kagami, went up to try some. She put the spoon in her mouth. It was delicious, almost as good as the one they had made a few nights ago. She couldn’t figure out why.

Kiyoshi walked back into the classroom followed by Izuki and Riko.

Tsuchida picked up two containers, one of protein powder and the other being vitamin powder. “Did you add this to our food.”

She nodded.

“That’s why it tasted awful!” Hyuga yelled, already recovered from his sickness.

“I told you not to add any unnecessary ingredients.” Kagami sighed and then took another bite of the good tasting curry.

“I just wanted to give you guys some extra nutrients.” She laughed nervously.

“Over half the container is gone! You added way too much!” Hyuga shouted and then tasted a fresh bowl of curry. He looked as though he were about to cry tears of joy and continued to eat.  

Kiyoshi, Izuki and Riko sampled some, all agreeing that it tasted good. And with that they were ready for a week at the training camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I first watched the anime and Kagami said that he was going to show Riko how to cook, I so wanted to see that. So I wrote some of it here. It also gave me an excuse to write more Riko and Kagami together.
> 
> Anyway, I can finally write the training camp chapters!


	15. Beach Training Camp

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the first chapter at the training camp. Enjoy.

The sea breeze was welcome after the long bus ride to the camp and the waves crashing into the beach reminded her of her home in America. As did the children screaming and running through the sand.

But this wouldn’t be a vacation for them. After all, the upper classmen had referred to it as the training camp from hell, and knowing Riko, that is exactly what it would be.

Hyuga led the team to a very run-down inn. The steps creaked as they walked up to the entrance and the place looked as though it could crumble with the slightest gust of wind. They decided to wait outside for Riko to arrive in case she needed any help carrying equipment.

“We’re staying here?” Furihata shook looking at the outside.

“Yep!” Kiyoshi said a little too excited. “And there is a rumor that it’s haunted.”

“Haunted!” Kagami took a step back. She was ready to run for the bus. Ghosts terrified her. One night, while they were camping, Alex had told a ghost story to her and Himuro. And Himuro learned that night to never scare Kagami while in the dark. It took a week for the bruise to heal.

“Calm down Kagami, this place isn’t haunted.” Hyuga scoffed and then glared at Kiyoshi. “And you, don’t scare the first years!”

Kiyoshi held up his hands and laughed. “I was just having some fun, I didn’t think I’d scare Kagami.”

Kagatora’s car arrived and he pulled up in front of the inn. He and Riko got out and started unloading equipment. Hyuga and Kiyoshi went over to help.

“Thank you dad, this should be good enough.” Riko said once everything was removed from the car.

Kagetora nodded. “Good luck Riko.” Then he gave the rest of the team a cold stare. “If any of you lay a hand on my daughter, I’ll kill you.”

The boys stood shaking and nodded.

“Dad it will be fine, and I’ll be sharing a room with Kagami.” Riko rolled her eyes.

Kagetora looked at Kagami. “Kagami… keep her safe.”

“Um sure…” As far as Kagami knew, Riko could handle herself.

He gave Riko a hug, got into his car, and drove off.

Everyone grabbed some basketball equipment and they entered the inn. The inside was very worn. The wooden seats in the lobby looked like they had been there for the past fifty years and décor was very dated.

Riko went to the desk and checked them in. Then she led the team through the hall to their rooms.

“Kagami, we’ll be using this one.” Riko opened the door. It was a small room with two beds and an ocean view.

Kagami carried her stuff inside and set it next to the bed furthest from the window, figuring she’d want to get as much sleep as possible without being woken up by the sun.

Riko arrived after showing the boys their room, laying her stuff on the bed and opening the curtains.

“I made sure we got the room with the ocean view.” She grinned.

“Nice going.” Kagami smiled.

* * *

 

 After the team settled in to their rooms, Riko called the first practice. She led the team outside to the beach where two basketball nets were set up in the sand. The half court, three point, and free throw lines were all marked.

Kagami stared at the court. It was placed where the sand was soft and no one would be steady on their feet.

“Um… what is this?” Kawahara asked.

“Where we’re going to practice.” Riko said pulling a basketball out of her bag.

“In the sand?” Fukuda looked over the court.

Riko nodded. “I told you that this would be the training camp from hell.” She paused. “And while it’s great that some of you can specialized in a skill… we’re a small team, everyone needs to improve all their skills.”

Riko ordered them to practice their drills. Izuki held the ball first, he started by passing to Kuroko, who then tried to pass by bouncing it on the ground. But it stuck in the sand.

“Kuroko why did you think the basketball was going to bounce in the sand!” Hyuga yelled.

“Um…” Kuroko just stared at the ball.

Kagami got the ball next and she had no idea what to do with it. Dribbling wouldn’t work, and if she just ran with the ball, that would be traveling. She eyed Kuroko, threw the ball to him and ran to the net.

Kuroko passed to her. She jumped to score… but the sand didn’t allow her to jump high enough to reach the net.

“Kagami, why didn’t you just shoot it normally.” Hyuga put his hand on his forehead. “You would have made the shot.”

“Right.” Kagami gave a quiet laugh.

Practice was rough. She and the others were much more clumsy, and towards the afternoon, the sun beat down on them. Not to mention all the distractions on the beach. Kids ran by yelling, one woman in her twenties started to sunbathe nearby getting nearly everyone’s attention, kites flew in the air, and several planes flew over the ocean.

They also had to go refill their water bottles halfway through. Each of them drank far more than usual.

“Alright.” Riko said around noon. “We’re going to break for lunch, and then we’ll practice in the gym.”

“Inside.” Izuki said relieved.

“But only an hour?” Koganei pouted dragging himself over to his things.

Hyuga swatted him over the back of his head. “You knew this would be training from hell!”

“Hyuga…” Kiyoshi began. “You seem to be enjoying that fact a little too much.”

* * *

 

Lunch went by way too fast. Kagami just wanted to go back to her room and take a nap.

 But at the very least, Riko’s cooking tasted good.

Inside the gym, Riko called for a practice game between the first years and second years.

“Furihata!” She called out. She had just run from Kiyoshi who had been blocking her.

Furihata passed to her. She ran to the basket, noticing that she was faster and more steady, and then jumped.

“Sorry Kagami.” Kiyoshi smiled and blocked her.

Changing her strategy, she threw the ball back to Fukada. He shot a three but missed.

Kiyoshi grabbed the rebound and passed to Izuki.

Then he smiled at her. “Looks like I’m getting the hang of this again.” He ran to other side of the court.

Kagami blinked, unable to be annoyed at him.

Hyuga shot and scored a three. The upper classmen were in the lead. But their team was much stronger than the first time they played them at the beginning of the school year now that they had Kiyoshi.

Determined not to lose, Kagami received a pass from Kuroko. She dribbled to the basket. Kiyoshi was right behind her ready to stop her. She jumped, much higher than him, in fact too high. The net hit her in the chest and she lost control of her self in the air. The basketball hit the backboard and she fell to the ground.

“Kagami are you alright!” Furihata ran over to her.

“Fine.” She said unsure if she was angry or impressed at what she had done.

“I’ve never seen anyone jump that high.” Tsuchida said looking up at the basket.

She started to stand up, but Kiyoshi held out his hand to her. She took it and he helped her up.

“Be careful Kagami. We don’t want our ace to get hurt again.”

They took another break for dinner and then the team ran on the beach, returning when the sun had gone down and stars covered the sky.

* * *

 

Midorima was nearly asleep when the bus pulled up to the inn that morning. Their team had left very early, and he had spent most of the night awake fretting over the trip, worried that he might not be able to find Cancer’s lucky item for a particular day. If only they could announce all the items for each day a week ahead.

“It’s so old.” Takao frowned as they approached the entrance.

“Takao, don’t complain.” Midorima glared at him. The upper classmen had warned them that the place was run down, and that Shutoku has been using it and their gym for years.

They entered the lobby. Midorima sat in one of the chairs that he thought was going to collapse under his weight, and then closed his eyes.

“Oh there is another team training here this week.” He barely over heard the receptionist.

“Shin-chan come on.” Takao nudged him.

He opened his eyes, figuring that he dozed off. The team was already through the doors making their way to their room.

He stood up, removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes, and then followed Takao through the halls.

“Morning Tetsuya.” A familiar voice said and then yawned.

“Um Taiga…”

Midorima stopped and his insides went cold. That second voice could only belong to Kuroko and he was sure that the first was Kagami’s.

“Is that…” Takao looked at him.

“Coach wanted me to go grab her some water. And she was worried that I was the one who wouldn’t get out of bed.” Kagami laughed.

As they turned the corner, Midorima hoped that their room was in the opposite direction of Kuroko and Kagami and that they wouldn’t notice him. But he had no such luck. Their room number was down the hall where the two were standing.

Kuroko and Kagami noticed them right away. Both had messy hair, Kagami wasn’t put up in its usual pony tail making her look more feminine. His eyes went right to her and he could feel his face get red. She was wearing sweat pants and a wide strapped tank top… and the air conditioning was turned up very high…

“Um hey what are you guys doing here?” Takao asked staring right at her chest.

Midorima reached over and turned his head away from it. And then looked at her face and only her face… but that may have only made things worse so he locked his eyes on the ground.

“Shin-chan…”

“Our training camp is here.” Kagami answered.

“So is ours…” Takao said.

“Then… are we sharing the gym?” Kagami asked.

“Maybe…”

A door opened and Seirin’s coach walked out. She frowned when she saw the for of them then walked quickly down the hall.

“Kagami what is taking you so long?” And then she noticed that he and Takao were the ones standing with Kuroko and Kagami.

“Shu-Shutoku?” She titled her head and then rubbed her eyes.

“Their training camp is here too.” Kagami said turning back to face Riko. Her top clung to her body and lifted a little revealing a glimpse of her abs. And it was at that moment that Midorima decided to look up.

He didn’t think it was possible for his face to get redder.

Riko must have noticed his discomfort. She grabbed Kagami’s hand.

“Kagami! Get back in the room!” Riko tugged her along.

“But don’t you want some water?”

“Put on a bra first! Or at least a sweatshirt!”

Kuroko turned to him and Takao. “Um Midorima-kun?”

Midorima refused to make eye contact and was aware that Kuroko knew everything that was going on with him at that moment.

“I’ll see you in the gym Kuroko.”

“Um okay.” Kuroko gave a small knowing smile and then walked back to his room.

Once Kuroko was out of hearing range Takao grinned. “Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up next to her every morning?”

“Takao.” Midorima glared at him.

“Hey come on, she’s pretty hot.” He paused. “But she and Kuroko are on a first name basis, and they seemed pretty comfortable in front of each other like that… do you think they’re dating?”

“I thought she didn’t date her team mates?”

As he frantically analyzed the situation that had passed, he came to the conclusion that Kagami didn’t seem at all uncomfortable in front of him and Takao either.

“Um I guess.” Then Takao laughed. “Aw you don’t want her to date him.”

Midorima blushed. “No! I mean if she wants to…”

“Shin-chan, first you were worried that she was Kise’s girlfriend.”

“No I wasn’t!”

“Then what was that horrified look when you saw that picture of them together.” Takao grinned.

“I just thought she could do better than him!”

“And by that, you mean you?”

“No!” Midorima threw his hands down. “I’m done talking about this!” He started to walk towards their room. The team was probably wondering where they were.

“Well…” Takao sighed and started to follow. “Looks like I’ll have to wear pants around this place.”

“You should be doing that regardless!”

* * *

 

Seirin had their practice on the beach that morning, and then in the afternoon they went to the gym, where Shutoku was also wanting to have their practice. The teams stuck to their side of the court running drills, with the exception of Shutoku’s third years who met Kiyoshi at half court to talk.

Kagami held the ball and then turned and watched Midroima shoot a three from behind the three point line. Then she ran and dunked, making sure not to jump too high that time.

Riko then got the team’s attention.

“Starting today, we will have joint practice sessions with Shutoku.”

“Um, are they really okay with that?” Izuki looked over at the other team to see their coach talking to them.

“Their coach is fine with it and it works out as a compromise.  We’re going to have a practice game every day.”

“Alright bring it on.” Kagami grinned, figuring this was a chance to show them that Seirin winning wasn’t just a fluke.

“Actually Kagami, I need you to do something first.”

“Right now?” She looked at Riko.

Riko handed her money. “I need you to go to the convenience store in the shopping district and get everyone some sports drinks. They’ll be heavy so you may need to take few trips. The fastest and most convenient route will be through the beach.”

“Convenient route… convenient store.”

“Shut up Izuki!”

“Um okay,” Kagami said wondering why of everyone on the team, Riko had chosen her for the task.

She grabbed an empty gym bag and stepped outside. It was hot and the convenience store was fairly far. She ran down by the ocean, where the sand was sturdier. If it got too warm she could splash herself with water. By the time she got back to the gym she’d be dry.

She ran, avoiding others at the beach as well as toys, towels and beach chairs that were scattered everywhere. Luckily there was a sign pointing out the shopping district.

The convenience store wasn’t far into town. The cool air hit her hard when the automatic doors opened and she stood for a moment enjoying it. Kagami grabbed several drinks and brought them to the counter. It wasn’t enough to for her entire team, but her bag was full and heavy.

When she arrived back, the practice game was well underway. Seirin was losing. Kuroko tried to pass to Hyuga and Tsuchida, but they didn’t work as well as she and Kuroko did together.

After emptying her bag, she took a drink of water and left for the second trip. This time the run was a lot tougher. It had only gotten hotter and she was out of breath. And it was only harder to carry the full bag back the second time.

She returned with more, counted all the drinks in total, and saw that she still didn’t have enough. So she ran to get more.

By the time she returned, she could barely run and dragged herself across the gym. She was covered in sweat and her face was flushed. One looked from the boys on the bench told her she looked terrifying. She grabbed her towel and patted her face.

 The practice game ended just as she set her towel back down. Shutoku won by ten points.

_We would have won if I were playing._

“Kagami, pass them out to the team.” Riko pointed at the drinks.

“Alright.” She forced a smile. All Kagami wanted to do was collapse in a chair and rest.

She handed a drink to Kuroko, then Hyuga, Kiyoshi, Mitobe, Izuki, and the rest of Seirin. Then she went back to grab more.

“Um Kagami, who are those for?”

Kagami pointed over to Shutoku. “You said to get them for everyone… was I not supposed to?”

“Um… no it’s fine.”

She walked over to Shutoku’s bench where the team sat drinking water and toweling off.

“Hey.” She called out to Takao. He sat on the end. She handed him a drink.

Takao blinked, took it, and then smiled. “Thanks Kagami!”

Then she walked over to Otsubo and Miyagi and held out the drinks to them.

“A girl is giving me a drink? And it’s Seirin’s ace…” Miyagi blushed.

“She’s so sweet after all!” Otsubo said taking the drink from her. He opened it and drank it all in one gulp.

Kagami walked over to Midorima and held out one to him. He looked at her apprehensively.

“Um… this is for you.” Kagami pushed the drink closer to him.

He still looked at her as if he couldn’t figure out what was happening.

“It’s not poison.” Kagami almost laughed. Maybe it was Cancer’s unlucky item for that day. She could never figure him out.

“Shin-chan take the drink!”

Midorima reached for it. “Um… thank you.” He broke eye contact and she thought she saw his face get red, but he looked to the ground before she could really see.

She handed out the rest of the drinks to Shutoku finishing with their coach.

“Uh thank you.” The coach said confused. “You didn’t have to get one for me.”

Kagami nodded towards Riko. “She said to get them for everyone.”

With that over, Kagami walked back to her team and finally sat down. Kuroko handed her the last drink and she happily took it.

“I missed the game.” She pouted.

“Don’t worry it was only a practice game.” Riko said. “And it was much more important that you got us those drinks.”

“Why?” Kagami eyed her. It was just sports drinks. Water would have been just fine for everyone.

“Because…” Riko paused and seemed to be searching frantically for an answer. “I forgot to bring them.” She said quickly laughing. “Now drink up!”

Kagami took another drink, a little suspicious at that response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Midorima, you overreacted a little bit to Kagami in the morning. But I guess you do have a huge crush on her and it's just too much fun to put you in awkward situations. (You're totally the one that the bump into each other and fall into awkward positions)
> 
> We'll see more training camp next chapter.


	16. The... volleyball that Kuroko plays?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took me longer to write than I thought. But enjoy.

Midorima was laying in his bed. Was it morning? Yes… he was at the training camp. Although the room where several people slept was suspiciously quiet and seemed much smaller than he though. He sat up, his head swimming. What time was it? He couldn’t find the clock… his cell phone? He looked and it was blank.

“Hey Midorima.” A soft voice said.

He looked up, Kagami was right in front of him, he swore she wasn’t there before. She was wearing the same thing she wore when Shutoku first arrived at that camp. Sweats and a tank top, and her hair was down and messy. Like she had just woken up.

 She moved closer and straddled her legs around him and sat in his lap.

“K-Kagami… what are you doing here?” His heart was pounding. He checked himself. Good he had a shirt on.

Kagami smiled. “I came to see you.” She then placed her hand on the left side of his face and moved her lips close to his.

“W-We’ll get in trouble…” Once it was known that Seirin was attending the same camp… their coach told them no “funny business”. And how did she get into the room? Did someone let her in? No one else was there…

“But… don’t you want to?” She gave him a coy smile.

It was against his better judgement, he really should tell her no and get to practice. And she was so close and he wanted her so bad…

Midorima nodded

Kagami grabbed the bottom of her tank top and pulled it up.

* * *

 

His eyes opened and he sat up in his bed and looked around. No Kagami.

“Ugh, thank god you woke up. I was about to leave.” Takao was in his bed and giving a look of disgust.

Midorima reached for his glasses and became aware that he was covered in sweat. He should have known that was a dream by the fact that he could see clearly without his glasses. And Kagami… as far as he knew, she was nothing like that.

“I… just had a bad dream.” His heart was still racing.

Takao shook his head. “No, I think that was a good dream.”

He looked down. Takao wasn’t exactly wrong, and if it were possible, he’d go back to sleep and continue it… no he was a responsible student. He couldn’t concern himself with any of that.

“Was it about Kagami?”

“Huh?” Midorima felt his face get hot. He covered it up but that only further gave him away.

“It was!” Takao laughed. “Shin-chan I didn’t know you were so naughty!”

“I didn’t mean to!” He buried his hands into his knees. Takao would never shut up about this.

Takao shrugged. “Well you really can’t help them… but you do seriously need to get laid.”

“No.” Midorima sat up folded his arms. He was too busy for a relationship. School and the team had to come first. And besides, he had no idea where to even start with any of… that… Aomine and probably Takao would suggest the internet, but he wouldn’t watch any of those vulgar videos… he’d rather an academic book.

Wanting to get his mind off it all, he grabbed his cell phone and listened to the Oha Asa broadcast. While the announcer was going through the other signs, he got up and got ready for morning practice.

_And now for Cancer… today you are in fifth place, just stick to your plan for today and you’ll be fine. Your lucky item is… nail polish!_

He groaned. That was not something he would ever carry. “I need to go to the store.”

He dreaded walking up to the counter with that. Maybe he could grab a few more things and the cashier wouldn’t notice.

“Um… we have practice in twenty minutes, and the store is pretty far away. I mean remember how long it took Kagami to run to get those drinks?”

“I know, but I need my lucky item.” Midorima could only imagine the disaster that would befall him if he didn’t have that nail polish. A basketball net could fall and crush him, he could trip and break his nose, maybe a tornado would hit the beach…

“Just wait till lunch and then we’ll go get your lucky item.”

“It will be too late by then.”

Now that he was ready for practice he walked out the room and down the hall. Takao ran after him.

“Shin-chan you really can’t go right now! You’ll make the upper classmen mad!”

He didn’t care. The coach might be annoyed but Midorima was the best player on the team. Besides, everyone would be more angry if Midorima couldn’t make a single shot or was injured.

“Um… Midorima-kun?”

He jumped. He hadn’t seen Kuroko in the hall about to pass him.

He cleared his throat and did his best to calm himself down. “Morning Kuroko.”

Kuroko tilted his head. “Is something wrong?”

“No.” He said not wanting to talk about this to his former teammate. The Teiko days were in the past and Kuroko need not to concern himself with his problems.

“Shin-chan’s lucky item for today is nail polish and he doesn’t have any. And this guy thinks he has time to go to the store.” Takao caught up to them.

“Takao!” Of course, Takao would just blurt that out, and Kuroko of all people. Although, it wasn’t likely that Kuroko bought his lie anyway.

“Hmmm…” Kuroko thought. “Taiga has some, I’ll go ask if you can borrow hers.”

“Um…” Midorima blushed at the thought Kagami letting him use one of her things. “Kuroko you don’t have to.”

Kuroko sighed. “Midorima-kun, I know what happens if you don’t have your lucky item.” He turned and walked towards Kagami and her coach’s room and Midorima swore he saw him smile as he did.

“Is he just going to walk right in there?” Takao asked and then laughed. “Actually, he could probably walk right in, grab the nail polish, and neither would ever notice he was there.”

“Kuroko wouldn’t do that.” Midorima frowned to stop himself from smiling. He did have to admit, the thought of that was kind of funny.

Kuroko knocked on the door. It opened, and he spoke to one of the girls. Midorima wished he could here exactly what he was saying, but he dare not get any closer.

 About a minute later he walked back to them holding a small bottle of pink nail polish.

“I didn’t know Kagami painted her nails.” Takao said looking at it. “And that color!”

Kuroko shrugged. “She paints them sometimes.”

Midorima put the bottle in his pocket.

“Um Midorima-kun… do you just need it in a bottle or are you going to wear it?”

“I’m not putting that stuff on my fingers!”

* * *

 

All through morning practice he couldn’t bring himself to look at Kagami. Not after that dream and the fact that he had her nail polish. It was bad enough having to explain to the upper classmen that it was his lucky item and where he had gotten it. But Takao took care of that for him… and then he had to deal with the teasing after.

When practice ended, the coach made an announcement.

“The gym needs to go under maintenance this afternoon. So your getting the afternoon off. But it’s only for today so don’t get used to it.”

The upper classmen all looked at each other grinning.

It was fine with Midorima. He’d just spend it in the room and get his mind off of everything.

* * *

 

He laid in his bed looking at his cell phone. The other teammates had left for the beach. He brought his school text books and planned to get a head start on next term.

“Come on Shin-chan, let’s go to the ocean! I heard Kagami asking Kuroko and Seirin’s other first years to go.”

“No.” He said coldly imagining everything that could go wrong.

Takao grinned. “Maybe she’ll be in a bikini, you wouldn’t want to miss that…” He paused. “Although that’s probably more that what she was wearing in your dream.” He winked.

“Takao…” Midorima glared at him. He was toeing the line of being inappropriate. And she wasn’t  wearing less than a bikini in his dream. Takao would probably be disappointed if he had known what exactly had happened.

The whole situation frustrated him. He both wanted and didn’t want Kagami to be at the training camp. He looked forward to seeing her everyday… but once she was within sight, he just wanted to go back to his room.  And worse, he didn’t know how to speak to her. Anytime he got the opportunity, it was like he forgot how to form a coherent sentence.

“Come on Shin-chan, let’s go. You’re only young once.”

“No.”

* * *

 

_30 minutes later_

He scanned the beach, locating the upper classmen sitting on towels and a few of Seirin’s second years in the ocean. The sun was beating down, but that was the only bad thing so far.

“So you came after all?” Takao stood next to him. He squinted and searched the beach. “There’s Kagami!” He pointed. She was sitting on a towel next to Kuroko. “Aw but she’s not in a bikini… don’t girls’ call those Tankinis?”

“I don’t know.” Midorima eyed her. She still looked nice.

“But… look at those legs!”

“Takao…” Midorima said in a low tone.

“Sorry… I’m a leg guy.” He laughed nearvously. “I won’t look at your girl anymore.”

“She’s not my girl…”

“Anyway, let’s go over and say hi!” He was already on his way.

“Um…”

“Don’t worry Shin-chan… I’ll do the talking for you.” He smiled.

He reluctantly followed. Was she going to think it was weird if he and Takao just walked up to her? Maybe she wouldn’t want them near her.

“Hey Tetsuya.” Kagami said when they were in hearing range. She handed him a bottle of sunscreen. “Will you put this on my back?”

“Sure.” Kuroko said taking the bottle.

Kagami held up her hair and Kuroko began to lather the exposed skin.

“Alright let me put some on yours, I have a feeling you’re the type of person that burns easily.” Kagami took the bottle, poured sunscreen in her hand and started to rub it on him.

“Wow they really are close…” Takao said slowing down, then realized what he had said. “But I’m sure they’re just friends… like you said, she doesn’t date teammates!”

Midorima didn’t respond. He wasn’t sure about them either. But he just couldn’t imagine Kuroko being attracted to a girl like her. Then again, he never expected himself to be attracted to Kagami.

Takao started to walk faster. “Hey Kagami! Kuroko!” He waved to them.

Kagami and Kuroko turned and both smiled. Midorima walked slower as he approached.

Takao got down next to them. “This training camp has been crazy right?”

“Yeah… we really didn’t expect you guys to be here.” Kagami said.

Midorima sat next to Takao and refused any eye contact with Kagami or Kuroko. He knew Kuroko was looking at him, and probably knew exactly what he was thinking and feeling.

“At least we got this afternoon off, I haven’t been to the beach in years.” Takao said.

“Really?” Kagami tilted her head. “In America I’d go every weekend with my friends… we lived nearby.”

“That’s right, you lived in America.” Takao said. “So how do you like Japan?’

She shrugged. “It’s different but I like it. I really like my basketball team.” She smiled and put her arm around Kuroko.

Midorima stared at the ocean. It annoyed him a little how easily Takao could get along with her.

“Hey Shin-chan, you’ve been to America right?”

He wanted to smack Takao. “Yes… years ago on vacation with my family.”

“And where did you go?” Takao continued.

“Las Angeles.” He looked at the others out of the corner of his eye.

“Really.” Kagami brightened. He blushed at that smile she gave him. “That’s where I lived!”

His eyes widened. Now he’d have to talk to her.

“Where did you go?” She asked.

His mind seemed to go blank and all memory of that vacation vanished. Words just spilled out of his mouth. “The beach… and museums… Hollywood.” He wanted to smack himself.

“Midorima! Takao!” Otsubo called out to them and Midorima was relieved at the interruption. Otsubo was followed by Miyagi and Kimura. “I can’t believe the first years went right for the girl!”

Takao laughed nervously. “Well she is our friend. And Kuroko is here too.” Takao pointed to him.

“What! I didn’t see him!” Kimura shrieked.

Otsubo sat down next to Kagami and Takao. “Kagami… does your team treat you well?”

“Yeah they do…” She eyed Kuroko.

“Good, they’re so lucky to have a lady on their team!” He said loudly and Kagami cringed.

“I was surprised when I heard that Seirin had a girl.” Miyagi said. “But you really are good…” Then he laughed. “I’d challenge you to a one on one but I’d be afraid that I’d lose.”

Midorima sighed. Everyone else on the team had no trouble talking to her.

“So are you really dating that pretty boy?” Otsubo asked.

“You mean Kise? No were not dating we were just watching a basketball game.” Kagami put her hand on Kuroko’s head. “He was there too.”

“And that one isn’t your boyfriend.” He pointed to Kuroko.

“No… I don’t date teammates.” Kagami sounded annoyed.

Otsubo looked at Midorima and grinned.

Midorima felt his face get red again. His entire team just had to get involved. Then he glared at Takao.

“Shutoku!” Hyuga came running form the ocean. “What are you doing with Kagami!”

Kimura groaned. “Calm down, we’re just talking to her.”

“You went right for her!”

“Hyuga, Kagami can talk to whoever she wants.” Kiyoshi said patting him on the back.

Hyuga and Kiyoshi sat down with them. Mitobe and Koganei followed.

“You guys get to have two girls on your team.” Otsubo said. “We don’t get any.”

Hyuga folded his arms. “She chose us not you.”

“So Kagami.” Takao turned to her now that the upper classmen were distracted with each other. “What do you think of the generation of miracles so far?”

Midorima cringed.

“Um…” she looked at Midorima. “They’re okay. Just that Aomine guy is really annoying and I haven’t met two of them.”

Murasakibara and Akashi she still hadn’t met. And now Midorima wondered what Akashi would think of her. She probably already had his attention and he likely had some information on her by now. And if Seirin ever played against Rakuzan. He shuddered thinking about him ankle breaking her or forcing her to fall to her knees in front of him… and then he hated that he thought that last part.

“Hey guys.” One of Seirin’s first years approached them holding a volleyball. He was the one that was always scared whenever he was on the court during the practice games.

 “Anyone want to play?” He held up the ball.

Midorima scoffed. They were basketball players, why would they want to play that game.

“I’ll play.” Kagami stood up. “Come on Tetsuya, it will be fun.”

“Um okay.”

“I’ll play too!” Takao jumped up.

“Me too…”

“And me…”

“Seirin vs Shutoku!” Hyuga yelled. “Well dominate you in this sport too!”

“You lost that practice match yesterday!”

Midorima reluctantly stood up, figuring he should at least help his team.

* * *

 

Kagami stood, holding the ball ready to serve. She was in agreement with Hyuga, Seirin had to win this game. Although, she had no idea how good anyone else was at the game.

“Seirin… should I make you confess If you lose?” Riko said coyly standing on the sidelines.

Kagami eyed her. “You know… you should play too.”

“Huh?” Riko stared back at her.

“Join the game, we’ll rotate you in, that way I’ll have the chance to not be the only girl.”

“Um okay…” Riko agreed.

With that, Kagami threw the ball up into the air and hit it as hard as she could to the other side. It flew over the net and before Shutoku could react, it hit the ground in the middle of their side of the court.

“First point is ours!” Kagami pumped her fist up in to the air.

“Kagami that was amazing!” Furihata looked at her starry eyed.

Kiyoshi gave her a high five.

“I did play volleyball for a few years at school in America. And I’d play at the beach with my friends.”

Riko was practically beaming at the news and the rest of the team looked relieved.

“This game isn’t going to be very fair.” Takao pouted.

The second time she served, Otsubo managed to hit the ball back over to their side. Izuki clumsily bumped it upwards and Hyuga ran by him and spiked it over the net scoring another point.

He cheered. “You’re not the only one who can play this game Kagami!”

“Hyuga you would have been good for the volleyball club.” Kiyoshi complemented patting him on the back.

“Then why did you insist that I join basketball!”

When it was Kuroko’s turn to serve, he served under hand. But the ball didn’t even make it half way across Seirin’s side of the court before it hit the ground.

“Uh…”

“Try again.” Otsubo said. “That was pitiful.”

On his next serve, he hit it hard, like his ignite pass… and didn’t curve it upward. The ball flew under the net. Miyagi and Takao had to jump out of it’s path to avoid being hit.

Kuroko looked at the ball blinking.

“Kuroko…” Kiyoshi put his hand on his shoulder. “That’s not going to work for this game.”

Kagami was still impressed. If he was taller and could use his ignite pass for a spike… he’d be unstoppable at scoring.

The game continued. A first year from Shutoku who sat on the bench during all of their games, got their first point. But their team still struggled.

The ball was hit to Kuroko. He bumped it up above the net right in front of Kagami. She jumped and spiked it, scoring another point.

“Hey Tetsuya we make a good volleyball team too!” Kagami gave him a fist bump. The game was going far better than she had hoped, and if Kuroko could just keep setting, this game would be easy.

“They truly are a shadow and light.” Kawahara commented.

Otsubo stood in front of the net facing his team. “Alright Shutoku, we’re behind! Midoima, try to block Kagami!”

“I’m not a volleyball player.” Midorima folded his arms.

“This is a game for people with height! Use yours!”

Midorima groaned.

“Shin-chan, let’s just try to be like Kagami and Kuroko. I’ll set the ball for you.” Takao said.

The next play started. When the ball went over to Shutoku’s side, Takao ran and set it for Midorima. Unfortunately, Midorima treated it like it were a basketball and hit it as if were making a shot from the other end of the court. The ball flew up high, way past the court and almost out of sight.

“Out of bounds!” Hyuga yelled.

“Well obviously.” Riko rolled her eyes.

“Shin-chan… that was a bit much.” Takao sighed.

“I told you I’m not a volleyball player.”

“Spike it next time.”

It was Riko’s serve. Kagami waited for it to go over the net but was instead hit by the ball. She fell forward but caught her balance.

“Hey!” She grabbed the back of her head and turned around.

“Sorry!” Riko apologized looking embarrassed.

“Do an underhand serve next time!”

They lost track of time as they played. At one point, Hyuga yelled at Kiyoshi for diving down onto his knees to save the ball. Kuroko proved to be a competent setter, sometimes the ball would just appear above the net for someone to spike.

Shutoku seemed to be having fun. Midorima eventually started to get into the game, once he figured out how to spike. He was very good at hitting the ball to a spot where Seirin wasn’t covering, even doing it once from the back row. That and he was the only person who could block Kagami, he stopped her from scoring several times, which she found to be a little annoying.

“Takao what was that?” Midorima glared at him after a lazy set.

“Sorry! But you still scored!”

“I almost missed.”

“We still got the point, and you didn’t even want to play!”

Miyagi served. Izuki got the ball and hit it to Kuroko. Kuroko set it for Kagami. One more point and they would win.

Kagami jumped to spike and Midorima ran to block. Kuroko had hit it particularly close to the net, Midorima could hit it back over and score for Shutoku. They were so close to each other as they reached for the ball. But Kagami jumped higher, and as she reach higher for the ball she leaned in a little. Her chest brushed up against Midorima’ s face, she felt his nose rub against her. As soon as he touched, he pulled his hand down. Distracted, she missed the ball

They both fell to the ground, the ball hit the net and landed out of bounds.

She got up, covered in sand and then saw Midroima on the other side holding his face.

“Oh no did I hit you! I’m so sorry!” She ran to his side and placed her hand on his shoulder. She swore that he had only barely touched her.

“No you didn’t! It’s fine!” He refused to look at her.

“Are you sure?” She then noticed his glasses laying in the sand next to him. She picked them up and did her best to rub the sand off them.

“Um here.” She handed them to him.

Midorima grabbed them. She got a glimpse of his face and was relieved that she didn’t see any marks or a bloody nose.

Then she noticed that Shutoku’s team was laughing. Glancing up she saw Takao lying in the sand laughing uncontrollably and the other third years doubled over.

* * *

 

The volleyball game may have been a mistake. Everyone was sore and exhausted afterwards and their joint practice started soon after the game ended. A few also had sunburns. Riko had Aloe Vera gel that she let everyone use, including those on Shutoku’s team.

“This is why we need girls on our team!” Otsubo said applying some to his shoulders. “They think of this stuff!”

“You should have known to put on sunscreen.” Midorima frowned.

“I forgot to do the back of my neck!” Takao whined.

Kagami was happy that she had asked Kuroko to help her apply and that she had made sure he was covered. She had learned the hard way how painful it could be to play any sport when sunburnt.

She was asked to get drinks again that day. When she returned from her last trip, as with the previous day, she passed them out to everyone. Midorima wouldn’t even look at her when he took his.

After practice, instead of going back to the inn, she grabbed a basketball and went to the outdoor courts, wanting to play at a least a little basketball.

She had only been practicing for about a half an hour when Riko approached her.

“Kagami, what are you doing out here? You should be resting.”

She held the ball tucked under one arm. “I came to a basketball camp, but I spend most of practice getting everyone drinks.” Kagami said. “Why am I doing that?”

Riko raised her eye brow. “You really haven’t figured it out yet?”

“Figured out what?”

Riko took the ball from her. “Go jump as high as you can and touch the backboard.”

Kagami ran and jumped, and touchedthe back board. When she landed, she saw that her hand print was much higher than the net.

“All that running through the sand is strengthening your legs and hips.” Riko began. “If you were playing in those practice games you’d be jumping as you always have, you could have gotten another injury. Now that you are doing more strength training, your body can handle those jumps and you can also jump higher.”

“Oh…” Kagami couldn’t believe that she hadn’t figured it out.

“You can keep practicing here, but I need to go back inside and make dinner.” Riko started to walk away. “Come in when it gets dark, and…” She looked back. “You should try jumping on your other foot.”

The sun was setting, she’d have a few more hours to practice. Kagami looked at the net, wondering how high she could get.

* * *

 

Dinner was ready. Everyone except for Kagami was inside waiting for Riko to serve. Kuroko went out to find her, knowing that she was at the courts practicing.

It was dark when he stepped outside and he could hear the ocean in the distance. As he walked, he soon heard the familiar sound of a basketball bouncing and he saw Kagami. She dropped the basketball and then ran and jumped up, touching the backboard.

Kuroko blinked. She had nearly touched the top. Unfortunately, she wasn’t used to jumping that high and fell to the ground.

He ran to go check on her but was stopped by Takao who was behind the shrubbery. He hadn’t seen him at first and was startled… but maybe that was how everyone felt when they were surprised by his low presence.

“Shhh!” He put his finger to his lips. Then he pointed to Midorima who was walking across the court back to the inn. “We gotta watch this!”

“Why?”

“Because there is nothing funnier than Shin-chan whenever Kagami is around.” Takao stifled laughter.

Kuroko couldn’t disagree. He had never seen Midorima, who was usually so serious, act so flustered around someone. He did feel a little bad for his friend and wanted to help… but only a little.

Kagami rolled over and sat up, rubbing her shoulder.

“Kagami…” Midorima stopped and took a few steps back away from her.

“Hey Midorima…” She stood up.

“I-I heard someone fall…” He said it one breath and then looked up at the sky and back at her. “What are you doing out here by yourself this late?”

“Just practicing.”

Kuroko turned to Takao. “What were you doing?” It seemed odd that he just happened to be where Kagami was practicing.

“I was just walking by and then she jumped and hit the backboard. I thought she was going to land on me! So I was going to ask if she was alright… but then I saw Shin-chan.” He shrugged. “I wasn’t stalking her or anything.”

“I didn’t say you were.’

Midorima looked up at the basket… noticing the hand print at the top of the back board. His entire demeanor seemed to change, and he seemed far more confident that he had all day.

 “You jumped that high?”

She nodded and then grinned. “Yeah, I think I’m ready for the Winter Cup now.”

Midorima shook his head. “That won’t work, you can’t defeat us in an aerial battle.” He sounded far calmer as he spoke. Almost like the way he used to talk to Kuroko and his Teiko teammates.

“Huh?”

“You’re good, but your play style is flawed.”

Takao frowned. “What is going on here… this isn’t fun. I want him to stay something hilarious.”

“He’s talking about basketball.” It was the only conclusion Kuroko could come to. And now that he thought about it, Midorima had no problem running up and blocking her in that volleyball game.

“Really?” Kagami sounded a little annoyed. “If I remember, last time Seirin won.”

“You won because you had Kuroko.” He picked up the basketball. “Let’s play a one on one, I’ll show you why you won’t win.”

Kagami nodded accepting the challenge.

“Oh maybe it will get good now!” Takao sat up straight then grinned. “Maybe they’ll bump into each other and fall over into a compromising position!”

Kuroko kept watching his friends. As far as he was concerned, Midorima had enough accidental contact with her that day. And it was nice to see him more comfortable around her. He didn’t even have an issued with reaching around her to get the ball or jumping up close to her to block. It had to have been that he was too focused. Earlier the guy could barely take a sports drink from her.

And even when her play style got more aggressive as Midorima increased the point gap between them, h was still able to play even with her bumping into him.

The one on one ended with Midorima winning. He held the ball and looked at her.

“Do you know why I won?”

“Why?” Kagami asked breathing heavily.

“Because no matter how high you jump I know that you are going to dunk.” He adjusted his glasses. “I know where to block.”

“Then…”

“You’re too predictable. You should work on your threes. If you can jump high enough and shoot them, no one will be able to block you.”

“Mine aren’t that accurate though.”

“Then work on them. You don’t have to shoot them all the time and you can still do that dunking, but don’t be too predictable for your opponents.”

He started to walk off the court. Kagami grabbed the basketball and followed.

“Takao let’s go.” He said walking by him and Kuroko.

“What you knew I was here!”

“Yes, you two talked too much.”

Kagami eyed Kuroko. “Tetsuya?”

“Dinner is ready.” He announced. He eyed Midorima, surprised that he would give her advice on how to improve. They would be playing Shutoku in the Winter Cup preliminaries and they had already lost to Seirin once.

And he still had to find a way to improve…. Something that would surprise his opponents, especially Touou.

* * *

 

The next morning Midorima woke up, still worn out from the previous day. He grabbed his glasses and turned on Oha Asa.

The he grabbed the nail polish. “I need to give this back to Kagami, maybe I could give it to Kuroko…”

“Or you could just give it to her.” Takao said.  


“Um…”

“Come on Shin-chan you did just fine with her at the court yesterday.” Takao laughed. “What are you so worried about?”

“Nothing.” He folded his arms. But the thought of walking up to her still made him anxious. He had no idea what was different about last night. But he just saw how high she had jumped and could suddenly talk to her, even give her instruction. It all annoyed him.

_Cancer, today you are in third place, you’ll have lots of good luck. Your lucky item is… a hair tie!_

He stared at his phone. No one on his team wore hair ties. Murasakibara did, but he was at another school in a different city.

“Well we know Kagami has those.” Takao said laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Midorima, if only you knew the thoughts Aomine and Kise had about Kagami, you wouldn't feel so bad.
> 
> And I don't know why I wrote a beach volleyball game. 
> 
> I don't think I got it across well enough why Midorima could suddenly act like a normal person around Kagami at the courts. Basically, if basketball is involved, he doesn't get love sick around her, because he does see her as his rival and he will play all out against her. So once he saw how high he jumped, suddenly he could talk to her about the sport. Also, if he's giving instruction to her in anything, he would get confidence from that.
> 
> This is also so that it doesn't affect him during an actual game. On the court she's his opponent.
> 
> I'm going to try to get one more chapter out before spring break ends. I can't make any promises that it will be done this weekend.


	17. The Walk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I managed to get this done tonight! I call these past three chapters the Midokaga trilogy.

He turned on the Oha Asa broad cast, dreading to hear what Cancer’s lucky item for that day would be. It was final day of the training camp, and all that week Cancer’s lucky items had been something that girls were more likely to carry… and Kagami always happened to have the item. It was as if Oha Asa knew of his feelings for her and that they were both at the same camp.

“Maybe Oha Asa is trying to bring you two together.” Takao suggested putting on his shirt.

“That’s ridiculous.” Midorima scoffed. “Cancer’s and Leo’s are not compatible.”

Takao rolled his eyes. “Maybe it wants you to tempt fate.”

If he was sure that Kagami had returned his feelings… then he would seriously consider it. But he knew trying to start a relationship with her he knew would be a complete disaster. There signs just weren’t compatible.

“I wonder what you’ll need from her today?”

“Nothing.” Midorima said coldly. “There can’t possibly be anything else.” At least he hoped. There were certainly other feminine things that could be the lucky item.

“Maybe it will be sexy lingerie.” Takao laughed.

His face got red, and an image formed. But he brushed it aside. It wasn’t proper to think of her that way. Already he had crossed the line by having that dream… not even Takao’s assertion that it couldn’t be helped and that everyone had dreams like that, could convince him. He had to have been thinking of something that brought it on. Or during that volley ball game when his face hit her chest… he shouldn’t have tried to get that ball. Apologizing to her the next day for that was difficult. Not only did he have to bring it up to her, but he had played that one on one the night before acting as though it didn’t happen. But Kagami wasn’t bothered. She only laughed and said it was an accident.

“And why would she have brought that with her!”

Takao shrugged. “Maybe she just liked to wear them. And she had scented lotion and heart earrings… I didn’t think Kagami would be the kind of girl to have those.”

Midorima groaned. Knowing his luck that would be the item.

“Why didn’t you think she would have those?” He himself wasn’t familiar enough with her to know what she would and would not like.

“Um… I don’t she just seems like a tomboy. I mean, when she’s wearing sweats and a tee shirt I could hang out with her as if she were one of the guys.” He paused. “I wonder what she would look like if she dressed like a girl…”

_And now for Cancer!_

They both became quiet.

_Oh no, Cancer today you are in last place. Bad luck will be everywhere. It would be best if you stayed inside with an emergency kit nearby. But if you must go out your lucky item today is… a red head! Yes spend all day with a red head._

He dropped his phone and stared at it. A red head? Just what? Oha Asa’s lucky item had never been a person.

He knew two red heads and Akashi was all the way in Kyoto, and it was doubtful that he would humor this anyway. That only left…

Takao doubled over laughing. “Well isn’t that sweet, Kagami is your lucky item today!”

“T-Takao…” He was numb all over. Just… why did it have to be a red head? Why not blond, or black. Someone with black hair would be easy to find.

He looked at Takao. “We can go to the store and get you some hair dye-“

“You’re not dyeing my hair red!” He yelled putting hands on his head. “Not for a lucky item!” He walked to the door and gestured for Midorima to follow. “Come on, she’ll be in the gym with us in the morning… and we all eat lunch in the same room, it will be fine… until she has to run and get those drinks.”

“Yeah but-“

“Shin-chan, I’ll do the talking for you… just like I have all week.” Takao folded his arms. “Or just talk about basketball, you don’t seem to have a problem talking to her when you do.” He opened the door. “Now come on, we have to get to practice.”

* * *

 

Midorima had been acting strange all morning Kuroko had noticed. Stranger than usual. He seemed more anxious than usual and avoided his teammates that kept giving him mischievous smiles and he avoided all eye contact with anyone from Seirin.

But despite it all, he could still make threes from the half court and he blocked all of Otsubo’s shots when running drills. But… something was still off.

When the coaches called for a break, Kuroko glanced at Shutoku’s bench. There was no item sitting at Midorima’s place.

He sighed and walked over to Takao, who was still making his way off the court.

“Um… Takao-kun.”

“Kuroko?” Takao stopped walking.

“What is Midorima-kun’s lucky item?” He figured it had to be something that Kagami had, knowing how that week went. Maybe it was one of the more embarrassing items to ask for. Whatever it was, Kuroko would get it. He couldn’t stand to see his former teammate like that, not someone that usually had it all together... relatively speaking.

Takao started to laugh. “His lucky item is a red head!”

“A red head?” Kuroko blinked. Why was his lucky item a person?

“Yes… so that means that Kagami is his lucky item!” Takao nearly fell to the floor laughing. He really enjoyed Midorima’s misfortune.

“I’m his lucky item?” Kagami walked up behind them.

Kuroko looked up at her and sighed. He hadn’t meant for her to overhear and Midorima likely didn’t want her to know.

Kagami tilted her head and frowned as if she didn’t believe them.

“Um…” Takao spoke his voice shaking. “Well his lucky item is a red head… and you’re the only person here with red hair….”

“Hmm…” She pulled her pony tail and looked at her hair. Then she walked over to Midorima who was sitting on the bench drinking his water.

“Hey,” She got his attention. “Why didn’t you tell me I was your lucky item?”

Kuroko almost didn’t want to watch this play out… but at the same time… he couldn’t take his eyes away.

“What? Who told you?” About a second later he glared at Takao.

“I didn’t mean to! She just over heard us!” Takao explained and then looked at Kuroko and gave a nervous smile.

Kagami tugged at her ponytail. “Do you just need the hair? Because I can clip some off.”

Midorima put his hand over his face. “Oha Asa said a red head… but you don’t have to-“

Kagami put her hands on her hips. “No, Tetsuya said that you can’t function without your lucky item.”

 “She’s actually going for this.” Takao whispered.

It didn’t surprise Kuroko. It wasn’t like Midorima needed her next to him, just nearby. And… he had the suspicion that Kagami would like being a lucky item. It would give her something to brag to the others about.

She was also completely oblivious to his crush on her. Kuroko didn’t understand how. Midorima spent most of his time around her blushing or tripping over his words. And her being his lucky item… could lead to situations where she unintentionally made him uncomfortable… like practically being in his face right that moment.

 “Beside I owe you for that help you gave me the other night.” Kagami said trying to make eye contact with him.

Morning practice went smoothly. Both teams stuck to their end of the court running drills. Midorima didn’t have to be anywhere near Kagami.

 But then came the afternoon and Kagami would have to go run to get the drinks. When the teams returned to the gym after lunch, Kuroko could already see Midorima getting anxious.

Kuroko sighed and walked over to the coaches. They were together, talking before the afternoon practice game. Midorima had already lost to him, and already Kuroko could see a change in him for the better, but there was something else he could do to help.

“Um…” He got the coach’s attention.

Riko eyed him. “Yes Kuroko?”

“Midorima-kun should go with Kagami to get the drinks. All week we’ve had to play without our ace. Shutoku should have to play with out theirs at least once.”

While he was using that as an excuse to keep Midorima with his lucky item, he really did think it was unfair that Seirin had to play against Shutoku without Kagami. That and he didn’t get his light in the game. The others on Seirin didn’t play near as well with him as Kagami did. And it was frustrating that his skills without her didn’t let the team win.

Riko stared at him blankly and then uncomfortable. She wouldn’t be able to make that decision for Midorima which is the exact reason Kuroko had asked while she was with Shutoku’s coach.

Shutoku’s coach sighed. “My boys would benefit playing a game without Shintaro… and he really doesn’t need this practice game.”

He called Midorima over to them, and Riko called for Kagami.

“Shintaro, today you’re going to go get drinks with Kagami.”

“Huh?” Midorima’s eyes widened.

“We’re going to let Seirin play against us without you.”

Midorima just stood completely still.

“Alright, come on.” Kagami walked by him, then stopped and looked back. “You know, I’m kind of glad I don’t have to get them all today.”

Midorima started to follow very slowly.

Kuroko smiled as he watched. He was aware that Midorima both wanted and didn’t want the alone time with her. But if he had stayed at the gym the practice game would have been nothing but a disaster. Besides, he’d be with his lucky item and maybe he’d get a little more comfortable around her.

* * *

 

After Kagami and Midorima left, Seirin and Shutoku gathered around talking amongst themselves. Riko walked over to tell Seirin to get ready for the practice game, however, she couldn’t help but be intrigued by the conversation.

“We can’t just send Kagami off with a boy from the other team!” Hyuga yelled and was about to go run off after them.

“Hyuga… it’s okay.” Kiyoshi put his hand on his shoulder. “You don’t need to worry about Kagami.” He paused and put a finger to the side of his face. “Although, if they do decide to make it a date, I hope she has some contraceptives with her.”

“What!” The color left Hyuga’s face. “Why would she have that with her! We need to go!”

Otsubo held up his hand. “Hey, this is Midorima we’re talking about… that guy couldn’t handle bumping into her during a volleyball game, he’s not going to initiate anything.”

Takao grinned. “What if Kagami does?”

“Tch… he couldn’t handle that.” Otsubo folded his arms. “He’s the only guy I know that would pass up an opportunity to get laid.”

“But…” Kuroko kept his face completely blank. “They would make a cute baby.”

“Argh!” Hyuga started to march to the door but Kiyoshi grabbed his shirt to stop him. “Do you know what kind of a scandal that would be!”

Riko put her hand over her head, unsure whether or not Kuroko was trying to make a joke or was serious. The boys just had to act like… teenage boys over this.

“Hyuga!” She yelled. “Do you really think she’s going to seduce Midorima! I mean it’s not like he’s Miyagi!”

“What!” Miyagi’s face got red.

“And like Otsubo said, Midorima is too nervous for that kind of thing!” She continued. It was ridiculous how over protective Hyuga was acting. And over Kagami walking to the store with Midorima of all people. She knew full well Hyuga didn’t have feelings for Kagami… if Seirin lost the Winter Cup, Riko knew full well that she was getting that confession.

“She is wearing a white shirt…” Kimura spoke.

“What if…” Izuki began. “She’s running by the ocean and a big wave comes and hits her…”

Hyuga’s face got redder from anger.

“Well Shin-chan is a gentleman.” Takao said.

“Yes and this would happen!” Koganei got a big smiled on his face.

* * *

 

_(Koganei’s scenario)_

_A large wave splashed Kagami completely soaking her. Kagami blushed and turned way from Midorima covering her top with her arms._

_“Midorima-san, please don’t look.”_

_Midorima walked over and pulled her into him and wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t worry Kagami, I’ll keep you covered.”_

_“Thank you Midorima-san!” Kagami finished getting all weepy and buried her head into his shoulder._

* * *

 

“Um Koganei… I don’t think you know either of them that well.” Kuroko said deadpanned.

“Yes that was the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!” Riko frowned at him. “If Kagami was splashed with water, she would just take off her shirt and Midorima would be too embarrassed to look at her!”

“What!” Everyone on Shutoku exclaimed.

“Calm down, she's wearing a sports bra.” Riko glared at them.

Shutoku’s coach, getting impatient, approached and only would have heard the very end of their conversation.

“Alright Shutoku, get back to practice! Start warming up!” Then he groaned. “Teenagers…”

* * *

 

Kagami squeezed the bottom of her shirt wringing out the water then brushed water off her arms. She still had the taste of salt water in her mouth.

“I can’t believe that wave just came out of nowhere!” She laughed. It had been a huge rogue wave that splashed them both as they ran on the beach.

Midorima had checked to see if she was okay but now couldn’t look at her. Her wet shirt clung to her body and her sports bra now visible.

“It’ll dry soon.” She said. “And it’s pretty hot out here so it was kind of nice…” she shrugged. “and what’s your problem, it’s just a sports bra underneath, there’s girls wearing much less here.”

Although she had to admit, his refusal to look at her was kind of sweet. But it was also funny. She was still covered up with her bra only slightly visible and Midorima was acting as though she were completely topless.

“Um it’s just…”

Kagami laughed. “Well I guess I’m not much of a lucky item.” It was her best attempt to change the subject. Midorima wasn’t at all comfortable talking anything related to boobs and that included wet tee-shirts.

“Uh no you’re fine.” He took his glasses of and tried to clean off the remains of the salt water on the lenses.

Kagami smiled. He was pretty cute without them.

Midorima put his glasses back on.

“Well let’s go.” Kagami started to run. Midorima followed. “We’ll take the long way, that way my coach won’t have the time to find something else for me to do.”

“The long way?”

“Don’t worry it’s not much further, we’ll just go up the second exit into town.”

They ran, the sea breeze blowing. Her shirt started to dry and she could feel the remains of the salt water on her clothes and body.

“So this week was fun right?” She spoke trying to make conversation. That was often difficult to do with Midorima. He and Kise were the complete opposites. Kise was talkative, open, and friendly. Midorima was reserved, cold at first, and she didn’t know that much about him other than that he got good grades, believed in horoscopes and loved basketball.

He adjusted his glasses. “I don’t know about fun, we came here to work.”

She almost laughed having expected an answer like that from him. “Maybe our teams will come back next year.”

“Um… maybe.” He looked way from her.

They reached the convenience store. The cold air rushed at them as the automatic doors opened. Kagami grabbed a basket and handed it to Midorima. Then she grabbed a cloth.

“Here, this will be better to clean off your glasses.”

“Um…” he looked away. “Thank you.” He took the cloth and removed his glasses and wiped them off.

Once they were back on, she led him to the sports drinks. Midorima set the basket down and they started placing drinks in it.

“Do you have a favorite flavor?” She asked as she was about to grab the last few.

“Um… no any is fine.”

“Okay.” She said and put the last two in the basket.

They carried it to the counter.

“Hey you have someone here with you today.” The cashier smiled.

Kagami nodded.

They carried the bags out of the store, not needing a second trip and started to walk back to the gym.

“So, why did you pay for my meal after our game?” Kagami asked once they got back to the beach. She had been wanting to know why for a long time, and now that they were alone together, this was the perfect opportunity.

“Um…” Midorima slowed and adjusted his glasses. “I wasn’t going to let a girl pay for her meal.”

“Even though you knew Kise was paying?” Kagami raised her eye brow.

Midorima scoffed. “He likely didn’t have enough money.”

“Maybe.” She shrugged. Kise seemed like the kind of guy that would happen to. “But next time I’m paying for your meal.”

“You really don’t have to.”

“No, I’m in debt to you now… besides, my dad sends me plenty of money each month.”

“Um…”

“Midorima… I’m paying!” She stepped closer to him and spoke in a low voice.

They ran. It had gotten hotter and more people were at the beach. A child ran between them forcing them to move a little away from each other.

“You know…” Kagami said as they got closer to the school. “We’re going to have to play each other in the Winter Cup preliminaries, I’m really surprised that you helped me out the other night.”

Midorima looked away. “You have too much potential, I couldn’t stand to watch you hold yourself back.”

“Uh..” She tilted her head. Hold herself back? What was that supposed to mean? And was he still suggesting that he was better even though Seirin won the game… okay so she did lose that one on one… pretty badly. And it was annoying that she had lost, especially declaring that she would beat the generation of miracles. But he had done something nice for her so she brushed it off.

“But what if Seirin wins again?” She gave him a coy smile.

“You won’t win.” He said. “I’ll be ready for anything Kuroko pulls next time.”

They returned with the drinks and handed them out during half time of the practice game. Everyone kept staring at them as if wanting details on their run to the store. All of them except for Miyagi, who refused to look in Kagami’s direction.

* * *

 

Midorima put the last of his things away in his bag as he listened to Oha Asa. The training camp was over. He was relieved… but also a little sad that he would no longer get to see Kagami every day. Not that he would let anyone know.

“I’m going to miss this place.” Takao said. “It was a lot more fun than I thought.”

“We weren’t supposed to be having fun.” Midorima said.

“We weren’t?” Takao smiled at him. “But what about that day at the beach… or you’re long walk to the store with Kagami…”

He blushed. “All we did was get drinks.”

“And it too you far longer to get them together than when Kagami would go alone.” He winked. “You know, Kuroko is a pretty good friend. He’s the one that suggested you two go together.”

Midorima squeezed his cell phone knowing full well it was Kuroko’s doing. “He just didn’t want me to be without my lucky item. And he’s on another team, it should have been no concern to him.”

“Really Shin-chan? You don’t need to stop being friends with someone just because you go to different schools.”

He sighed not wanting to talk any further about it. Their time at Teiko was far more complicated than Takao would ever know, part of it being his fault.

“And you gave Kagami that advice… you seemed to have fun playing that one on one with her.”

“I just wanted to help her out, I can’t stand to watch someone repeat the same mistake over and over.”

“Yeah sure.”

_Cancer… you are in seventh place today. Be careful out there, stay near a friend. Today your lucky item is… a bow! Find a pretty bow to carry around!_

He nearly threw his phone to the ground. Of ourse it was something else a girl would have and that morning they had absolutely no time to go to the store. He couldn’t even get help from Kagami. He had never seen her or Seirin’s coach wear such a thing.

He finished packing and zipped up his bag. He took one last check around the room and then Takao left. They walked down the hall having twenty minutes to board their bus. If he just sat in his seat and had Takao give him a ride home in his bike, things should be okay. They could even stop at the store when they got back to the school.

“Hey Midorima!” Kagami’s voice called out to him.

He turned. Kagami was running towards him holding something.

“I think you might need this.” She held out her hand.

It took him a minute to realize that it was a bow, one that was very uneven and looked as though it had seen better days.

“I listened to Oha Asa this morning, because I figured you’d need something from me. And… I didn’t have a bow, so I just cut up an old lanyard that was in my bag and Riko helped me tie it… we didn’t do a very good job… but… will it be work?”

His face got very red and he took the bow. “Yes this will be fine.”

If he weren’t so shy he would have hugged her and possibly just outright asked her to marry him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will not come out until the end of next week. Spring Break is sadly over and I have two exams this week. So time to go study!
> 
> I also love it that so many people like Midokaga. Actually I love reading comments about people's opinions on each of the ships. I will always be a multi shipper when it comes to Kagami and Kuroko.
> 
> When I first started writing this fic, I wasn't sure how I was going to write Midokaga interactions. I kind of figured out by writing them. Kikaga and Aokaga on the other hand were very easy. 
> 
> It will soon be time to figure out Murakaga... who is going to be a bigger tsundere than Midorima.


	18. Inter High Quarter Finals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exams are over and here is the next chapter! I was actually dreading writing this one, only because I wasn't sure how to make it interesting, but here you go!

Kagami set her bag in front of her on the floor of the bus, and then sat next to Kuroko. She was going to miss the beach, even those daily runs to the convenience store. But what she would really miss was seeing her team every day. Having Shutoku there also hadn’t been bad.

She eyed Shutoku’s bus as it drove away.

“You know…” She started. “He really isn’t that bad once you get to know him.”

Kuroko nodded. “Midorima-kun is… hard to get along with when you first meet him.” Kuroko looked out the window. “But you know… I’ve never seen him like that with anyone else.”

Kagami tilted her head. “Like what?”

“Never mind.”

As soon as the bus started to move, she laid her head back and closed her eyes. She had talked to Riko through most of the night, only finally going to sleep as morning drew near and now she as paying for it. Riko was some how energetic and peppy that morning despite the lack of sleep.

The bus hadn’t traveled very far when it stopped and parked.

Kagami opened her eyes. They were outside of a gym.

Riko stood up at the front. “Alright everyone lets’ get out!”

“Um… What are we doing here?” Hyuga asked obviously annoyed.

“While we were in the area, I thought we could watch a game.” She smiled.

“A game? What game?”

“The inter high quarter finals are taking place here today.” She said. “And Kaijo and Touou will be playing each other very soon.”

* * *

 

 The two teams were in the locker room when Seirin sat in their seats. They were in the upper level where they could see the whole court and not close enough to be easily recognized by the teams.

“So… do you think he can win?” Kagami asked Kuroko.

“I don’t know.” Kuroko said staring at the empty court. “Kise-kun has never beat Aomine-kun in a one on one.”

It wasn’t the response that she wanted to hear. But comparing the times that she had played them both, Aomine was definitely a much Stronger opponent. She after all, couldn’t win against him. But she had only beaten Kise with the help of Kuroko so maybe he could do much better against Aomine.

“Well maybe today will be the day that he does.” Kagami said. She just wanted to see Aomine lose. She gripped her knees as she thought back to their game and that annoying smug smirk he would give her. As well as his annoying “The only one who can beat me is me.” So he had to lose to someone. And she still didn’t have the confidence that could beat him in the Winter Cup.

She must have been showing her anger.

“Taiga… are you okay?” Kuroko looked at her.

“Huh?” She blushed. “Um yeah… just thinking.” But she knew Kuroko didn’t buy it. There was nothing that she could hide from him.

The two teams came out onto the court. She found Kise first, walking just behind Kasamatsu. And then she eyed Touou. She blinked. Aomine was there walking among the team.

“Aomine is here on time?”

Kuroko nodded. “I didn’t think he would be late against a game with one of the generation of miracles.

Kagami frowned. Kuroko was considered one of the generation of miracles, even if only among themselves. Yet Aomine had been late for their game.

The game started. Kaijo got the ball first. Kasamatsu caught it and passed it to Kise. Aomine ran to mark him… Kise dribbled and ran right by.

Kagami started to cheer, hoping that he could score the first points, but then Aomine ran up behind him and hit the ball away. It rolled out of bounds.

She slumped into her seat. Even Aomine doing something as simple as that was annoying.

“So they would play one on one together?” She now had some hope that Kise would at least know Aomine’s play style.

Kuroko nodded. “Everyday in their second year. Kise-kun could never come close to winning.”

She sat back in her seat.

Sakurai scored the first point. He did a quick shot right over Kasamatsu. Kagami could practically hear him apologizing as the ball went in.

“But Kise has gotten better since middle school right?” Kuroko had said so earlier that year.

“Yes he has.” Kuroko replied his eyes on the game. “But so has Aomine-kun.”

Kise had the ball, and copied Sakura’s shot, scoring Kaijo’s first points.

Then Aomine had the ball. She bit her lip nervous that Aomine would run by everyone. But Kise marked him… and he was able to follow him… far better than she could in their game.

Kagami eyed Touou’s bench until she found Momoi, sitting next to the coach. She was very pretty. Her notebook rested just under her chest pushing it upwards. It was noticeable even from where Seirin.

Realizing what she was doing, Kagami covered her face and looked to the ground.

“Hey.” Riko tapped her. “Are you okay?”

She looked up and nodded, not wanting to disclose what she was thinking about. Then she had to wonder if Teiko was just a school full of hot people.

Kagami concentrated on the game. Kise had the ball. He managed to turn away from Aomine and keep the ball from being stolen.  He ran to Kaijo’s basket. Aomine reached to steal but Kise switched hands and then jumped, dunking the ball.

Kagami pumped her fist up into the air and cheered as did nearly everyone else on Seirin. Then she eyed Kuroko who seemed impressed.

“Kise-kun really has gotten better.” He said.

“So what about now? Do you think Kaijo has a chance to win?” She asked hopefully.

Kuroko shrugged. “I really don’t know... Aomine… I know he can play better than this…”

She narrowed her eyes at him. His tone almost seemed conflicted… like he wanted to see both his friends win. It didn’t make any sense, Kuroko wanted Aomine to find an opponent as strong or stronger than him.

Hyuga, sitting behind her, leaned closer. “Kagami it’s only the beginning of the first quarter! Just watch the game!”

She sat back. It was way to early to predict who would win. Third and fourth quarter would be a much better time to judge. But… she just wanted Touou to lose.

“You know…” Kagami began. “Kise really likes you, you should stand up and cheer for him. He’d love that.” At the very least, it might give him a confidence boost to hear Kuroko of all people cheer him on.

Kuroko didn’t respond. Kagami expected as much, knowing that Kuroko wasn’t one to stand up and shout in a very large stadium.

The first quarter ended with Kaijo surprisingly in the lead.

Kagami’s stomach growled. She hadn’t had much breakfast that morning. Kuroko looked at her raising his eyebrow.

She laughed. “I’m going to get a snack.” She stood up. “Want anything?”

“No I’m fine.”

* * *

 

It took her a bit to find the vending machines. The place they were at was huge and she wandered into the other gym at one point where people were gathering for a game.

Someone was using the snack machine when she finally found it. He already had several snacks in his hand and was going for another.

Kagami laughed quietly. She could get along with him really well.

He grabbed his snack and stood up to his full height. Kagami almost gasped. He was much taller than her, taller than another guy she had met in Japan including “Dad”.

He turned around, his face neutral and his unkept purple hair framing his face.

Then he noticed her. He looked her up and down.

“Huh… you’re tall.” He said with little emotion in his voice.

For a moment, Kagami thought he was going to reach out and place his hand on her head.

“Um…” She took a step back. It was an odd comment coming from him considering that compared to him, she was quite short.

She read it jacket. Yosen. There were supposed to be two quarterfinal games held at that gym and she only assume that Yosen was one of the teams playing. And there was no doubt that this guy was a basketball player.

The guy kept looking at her as if he wanted to say something. Kagami waited, and when he remained silent, she walked by him to the machine. She inserted her coins and then waited for her snack.

“Hey Murasakibara!” A voice called out. “Its been a while.” The guy had a very smug tone.

“Oh… hey Zaki-chin.”

Murasakibara? Well at least she had a name for the giant.

 “So… who’s that?” the Zaki-chin guy asked. “Your girlfriend?” He then laughed loudly. “Looks like you finally found a girl you won’t crush in the bed.”

Kagami scoffed and pulled her chips from the machine. She turned around and saw the tall guy talking to a shorter guy with ridiculously looking dreadlocks.

“Like I would want one of those.” Murasakibara spat.

“Don’t lie, I saw you talking to her.” The guy smirked. “You of all people need to get laid already.”

“No I don’t! Why would I want to do that!” Murasakibara opened one of his snacks and started to eat, right in the middle of that argument.

 “Because every man wants-“

She groaned and started to walk back to the gym, not wanting to hear any more of that stupid conversation.

“I’m going to win today.” The obnoxious guy said. “Then I’ll prove to everyone that I should have been one of the generation of miracles.”

“Like you can beat me.” Murasakibara’s voice became colder and he took a step closer.

Kagami stopped. Generation of miracles? Those two went to middle school together? That must mean…

She turned around. “Um… did you two go to Teiko?” It was against her better judgement to speak to two guys that looked as though they were about to get into a fight. The shorter guy was dumb enough to pick a fight with a guy much taller than him.

 But her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

“Yeah we did.” The obnoxious guy frowned. “And they kicked me off the team for that pretty boy.”

“You mean Kise?” Kagami asked.

The guy scoffed. “Yeah him.” Then he took a closer look a her. “Hey wait, you’re that girl that plays for Seirin… which means, you were that girl in the picture with Kise.”

She groaned. That picture was going to haunt her for the rest of her life. And now this guy recognized her.

“Huh? She’s Kise-chin’s girlfriend?” Murasakibara said sounding almost disappointed. “And Seirin has a girl?”

“I’m not his girlfriend.

But neither heard her. The obnoxious guy frowned at Murasakibara. “How could you not know that Seirin has a girl on their team? Nobody will shut up about it!” Then he laughed. “You know, both Kise and Midorima lost to her. And they call them the generation of miracles.” He paused and grinned. “But Aomine put her back in her place.”

She nearly smacked the guy. This was the exact kind of person that she hated. Now she just wanted to take him outside, play a one on one and destroy him.

Her instincts told her to leave, but her pride wanted to prove that she was in fact a better basketball player.

He walked up walked up to her, getting a little too close for her comfort.

“You know, it doesn’t surprise me that Kise would pick a boyish girl… I bet you’re the guy in that relationship…” he laughed. Then he started to reach for her and Kagami backed away from him, putting a good distance between them. “But you should go out with me instead… I can satisfy you far better than that pretty boy ever could.”

She rolled her eyes. “Um no thanks… and I’m not dating him, we were just at a game and someone took that picture.”

The guy smirked. “Yeah… that’s a good choice. Someone like you needs a real man.”

“Um no it’s not that.” There was no end to this guy. It was unbelievable that he would ask her out after basically insulting her.

Murasakibara watched the two of them like he wanted to say something. But he just stuffed more food in his mouth.

“We should still go out…” He said. “Just wait till you see what I can do with my fingers-“

“Hey!” She was sick of him. “I don’t have time for a relationship right now! But if Kise asked, I’d go out with him long before you!” She didn’t dare tell this guy that Kise had asked her out on a date months ago. It was almost tempting to take him up on the offer just to spite this guy.

The guy frowned and started to walk slowly towards her. Kagami changed her stance, readying herself for a fight. She could take that punk and getting knocked out by a girl would shatter his ego.

“Zaki-chin, you won’t be able to play if you start a fight.” Murasakibara stepped between them.

He stopped and folded his arms. Probably because he didn’t know whose side Murasakibara would take.

 “Murasakibara!” A female voice yelled. A small woman holding a katana walked at a quick pace down the hall to them. She stopped in front of the tall guy looking angry.

“What is taking you so long! You were only supposed to get some snacks! We have a game in fifteen minutes!”

Murasakibara scoffed. “He started talking to me.” He pointed to the guy with dreadlocks.

The woman groaned. “Well get back to the locker room! Your team is waiting!” Then she turned to the dreadlock guy. “And you, get back to your team! Any more trouble and I’ll have you benched!”

“Whatever.” The obnoxious guy said and walked back to his locker room. Murasakibara did the same, stuffing his mouth with more snacks.

The two boys gave the woman one last look and walked back to their locker rooms.

The woman turned to her. “You’re Kagami right? From Seirin?”

She nodded.

“I overheard a little bit of that, are you alright?”

“Yeah… that other guy just didn’t like getting turned down.” It annoyed her. All she wanted was to get a snack and some guy showed up out of nowhere and harassed her.

The woman scoffed. “Yeah, men like that are dangerous. I’ve heard a little bit about him and none of it was good.” She paused. “What about Murasakibara? Did he behave himself?”

 “Oh he was fine... just mostly quiet.” She wasn’t going to tell the woman that she had thought Murasakibara and that other guy were going to start a fight.

She nodded. “Um listen… you need to be careful, not everyone is gong to be happy that you are playing on the boy’s team… and that you can play better than most of them.”

“Yeah.” Kagami held her head down. It was a frustrating reality. All she wanted was to play basketball in a league where she could get a real challenge. But of course there would be people like dreadlock guy. And worse, he wasn’t the last of that kind that she would meet.

“I’m going to walk you back to the gym, I don’t know if that other guy really went back to his team.” The woman said. “By the way, I’m Araki Masako, Yosen’s coach.”

“Nice to meet you.” Kagami smiled, grateful that the woman was walking with her. In the back of her mind she did worry that the other guy was around the corner waiting for her.

“Actually, I’ve been wanting to meet you.” Araki said. “It’s nice to see that a girl can compete with the boys.”

“And listen.” Araki continued. “I’m aware of what a lot of the boys are saying about you, and I know it doesn’t help for me to tell you not to listen to them… but just know that they’re wrong, you didn’t get that injury because you are a girl. Most of my boys couldn’t have played half as long as  you with that injury.” She scoffed.

Kagami smiled. She had heard something similar from many others, but it always lifted her to hear it again.

They reached the entrance to the gym.

“Thank you.” Kagami said.

The woman nodded. “I hope Yosen gets to play against your team in the Winter Cup…” She paused. “And keep up the good work.”

With that she walked off.

Kagami walked through the stands looking at the score. It was almost the end of the second quarter and Kaijo was still in the lead. She reached her team and sat down.

“Taiga… you were gone for a long time.” Kuroko commented.

“Yeah.” She folded her arms. “I ran into two more of your teammates from middle school.”

Kuroko’s eyes widened. “Murasakibara and Akashi?”

She shook her head. “Murasakibara and… he called the other guy Zaki-chin.”

“Haizaki.” Kuroko sighed. “I didn’t know he was playing basketball again.”

“Yeah… and I really don’t like him.” she paused. “Why was he kicked off the team?”

“He stopped showing up for practices.”

“Like Aomine does now? Was he also showing up late for games?”

“It’s complicated.” Kuroko looked at her. “Um what did he say to you?”

She scoffed. “He asked me out, I turned him down and he got upset.” She intentionally left out most of details knowing that they would alarm others on the team. Riko would likely not let her walk through the halls alone if she knew.

“Huh! Taiga are you okay?” He reached for her arm.

“I’m fine.” She said. Judging by Kuroko’s reaction this was probably not the first time Haizaki had gotten angry that a girl had turned him down, and she was likely one of the luckier ones. “And that guy really doesn’t like Kise.”

Kuroko nodded. “Kise took his place on the team… and Haizaki was particularly upset because Kise had never beaten him in a one on one.”

“And Kise still got his spot?” She was now almost relieved that she hadn’t challenged that guy to a one on one. She couldn’t beat Kise months ago in one.

“Akashi said Kise had more potential.” Kuroko seemed to not want to talk any more about it.

 She looked at the court and watched Kise copy Wakamatsu’s block.

“So do those two have their own special ability?”

Kuroko nodded. “Murasakibara was the center, it is really hard to score against him.”

“I figured.” Kagami replied. With his height, it would be unbelievable if weren’t a center.

“Haizaki… he can steal moves from others.”

“So like Kise then?”

Kuroko shook his head. “No, it’s is similar to Kise, but when he copies their moves, he changes the rhythm and the person can’t do that move again.”

“Hmm…” If she ever played against him she wondered if he could jump as high as her. And if they played against each other in the Winter Cup… she shuddered to think about that considering his behavior today.

She held out her bag of chips to him. “What one?”

“Um…”

“Come on, you know I don’t share that often.” She grinned.

Kuroko reached in and pulled out a chip. “Thank you.”

* * *

 

The second quarter ended with Kaijo still in the lead. As they both left the court for the locker room, Kuroko stood up. He wanted to walk around and get some fresh air.

As he walked through the hall, he heard cheering from the other gym, where Murasakibara and Haizaki were playing each other. Kuroko peaked in, and as expected Murasakibara’s team was crushing Haizaki’s.

He watched as Murasakibara effortless blocked one of Haizaki’s shots, hitting the ball so hard that two of his teammates jumped out of the way, not even attempting to get the rebound. Kuroko cringed. It never failed to surprise him how terrifying his tall former teammate could be on the court.

He continued to walk till he got to the exit. Kuroko walked around the outside, passing others who had stepped out during halftime and remembering when he had played there during a middle school game.

As he walked, he spotted Kise by a rail looking off in the distance. Now that he thought about it, Kaijo was likely keeping him out of the third quarter. Copying others took a toll on his energy and they’d want to save the rest for the fourth quarter.

He approached slowly. “Kise-kun?”

Kise looked at him. His eyes widened and he smiled. “Kurokocchi? What are you doing here?”

“Seirin had a training camp in the area. We came to watch the game.”

Kise stuck out his lower lip. “So you didn’t come to watch me play?”

“No.” It was just the truth. He hadn’t known that Kaijo was playing in the area until his coach had informed the team when the bus parked.

“So mean!” He pouted. “Wait… so that means Kagamicchi is here?”

Kuroko nodded.

Kise laughed nervously. “Well looks like I’m really going to have to win now… she told me to beat Aomine.”

“You weren’t trying before?”

“Yes of course I was! But now Kagamicchi is watching.” He winked.

When he first met Kagami, he had thought that with his help, she could beat the generation of miracles. He hadn’t expected them all to start falling in love with her. On a certain level it made sense. She was pretty and she loved basketball as much as they did... or once did. 

He knew that Haizaki’s feelings were not genuine and that he was just trying to take another girl from Kise. But Kise and Midorima, one of them out right made his feelings known and the other couldn’t hide them to save his life. There was also something about the way Aomine acted towards her during the last game, almost… seductive. Aomine had made it clear that she wasn’t his type but Kuroko still couldn’t help but think differently. And he wondered how Murasakibara felt and how Akashi would. And how would each of them react if she were to choose one of them?

“Murasakibara and Haizaki are here.” Kuroko changed the subject.

“Huh? I heard that Yosen had a game here… but Haizaki? I thought he quit basketball.”

 “I did too, but Kagami met them both when she went get a snack.”

“She met Haizaki?” Kise sighed. “I hope he didn’t give her any trouble.”

“Um… she said that he asked her out, and that she turned him down… and that it upset him.” Kuroko knew that Kagami wasn’t telling him the entire story but he wasn’t going to get any more out of her at the game. He almost felt bad for bringing Kise in to this as he had other things to worry about and there wasn’t much he could do about Haizaki. But it wasn’t like he could talk to Aomine. Maybe Momoi, but he worried that she would go try to confront him herself.

“That guy…” Kise put his hand on his forehead. “Is she okay?”

Kuroko nodded. “I think so, she’s with the team now.”

He seemed relieved. “If I win this game am I going to have to play against him?”

Kuroko shook his head. “No… Yosen is too strong with Murasakibara.”

“Oh right. Yeah he can’t win against Murasakibaracchi.” He smiled. Then he became serious. “Do you think I can win against Aominecchi?”

“I don’t know.” And he really didn’t. Kise certainly did impress him during that game. He played far better against Aomine today than he ever had in middle school. But, as he told Kagami, Aomine had also improved.

He did want Kise to win, but at the same time he still wanted to cheer for Aomine, even though it would be for the best for him to lose. No matter how cold Aomine had become towards him, Kuroko could never find it in himself to hate him and he still longed for those days when they were friends.

“Huh?” Kise tilted his head.

Kuroko breathed, coming up with the best way to explain it. “I think either of you could win, as long as you don’t give up.” That was what Seirin had done against Touou weeks ago. Even when their chance of winning became less than one percent, he had encouraged his team not to give up.

Kise sighed. “I was hoping that you would say that I would definitely win.” He checked the time and started to walk back to the gym.

“But you know.” Kise stopped. “In middle school, it was a given that we would win… not knowing makes the game more fun.” He turned and smiled at Kuroko before continuing.

He watched as Kise walked away. Kise had changed a lot since losing that practice game. Even during the game he had passed to his teammates. That may have been the reason that Kaijo was in the lead at the end of the second quarter.

* * *

 

Kuroko returned at the end of the third quarter. Touou had pulled a lead. But it was to be expected with out Kise in the game. She wasn’t sure why they would pull him out, especially against Touou.

“Why did they take Kise out of the third quarter?” Kagami asked as Kuroko sat down.

“Because he uses a lot of energy when he copies someone. He needed to rest before the fourth quarter.”

That made sense. Kaijo wasn’t down far enough that they couldn’t pull come back.

“I spoke to him outside.” Kuroko said.

Kagami looked at him. “Yeah… and?”

“He asked me who I thought would win.”

“And what did you say?”

“I told him that I didn’t know.”

She frowned. “Tetsuya… why didn’t you just say that he would win? That might have given him a confidence boost!”

Kuroko shrugged.

The fourth quarter started. She was tempted to stand up and cheer loudly for Kise, but at the same time, she didn’t want Aomine to know that shew as there. He’d find her and probably give her that smug smirk and then go all out against him.

Imayoshi had the ball, he tried to run past Kise, but Kise stole the ball, the same way Aomine had stolen once from her. It was sloppy, but it was Aomine’s technique nonetheless.

She glanced at Kuroko. “Did he just…”

“Yes...” Kuroko was staring intensely at the game.

She sat back. If Kise could just copy all of Aomine’s moves, Kaijo could pull back in the lead and win.

Kise went to shoot, Aomine ran up behind him, Kise stopped and Aomine bumped into him, and the ref called a foul.

“That’s….” Hyuga spoke. “Aomine’s fourth foul.”

Kagami smiled. “So they’ll either sub him out or he’ll have to play more carefully.”

“I don’t know.” Kuroko said not once looking away from the game.

* * *

 

Kise looked at Aomine, having intended that foul. It wasn’t likely that he could shoot that ball without getting blocked. But getting fouled would get him two points. And if this is what it took to beat him in a game, then so be it.

Aomine glared back at him. “I know you meant to do that. But don’t think I’ll hold back”

“I don’t expect you to.” Kise wiped sweat off his forehead. He looked up at the stands until he located Seirin.

“Kise come on, you have two free throws to shoot.” Kasamatsu ran by him.

“Sorry, I was just looking for Seirin.” He laughed and started to follow.

“Seirin is here?” Aomine smirked. “That means Tetsu and Kagami are watching.” He looked up at the stands. “Maybe I should show her what she’s really up against.”

There was sometime about the look Aomine game… “Don’t tell me you’re trying to show off to her?”

“Why not?” He grinned. “I’ll show her who is the best at this game.”

“Um… do you have feelings for her too?”

“No way!” Aomine frowned. “Do you really think I would want a girl like her?” He paused. “But I wouldn’t mind fucking her.”

Kise frowned. Aomine always said that he wanted a girl with big boobs. Kise also assumed that he wanted a girl shorter than him, not one that almost as tall as him. He thought that Aomine would like a girl that loved basketball, and Aomine seemed to like her enough to at least want to screw her.

Although Kise had to admit, if Kagami had offered him a one nighter, he would take her up on it.

 “She doesn’t even like you.” The idea of her choosing Aomine of him did sting a bit. But Kagami didn’t exactly have kind things to say about him, so he wasn’t too worried.

“What?” Aomine glared at him and seemed offended.

“Kise come on!” Kasamatsu yelled.

* * *

 

Kise made both his free throws. And now Touou had the ball. It was passed to Aomine. He rushed past the four players o Kaijo, meeting Kise near the basket. Kise jumped to block but Aomine turned away from him and dunked the ball.

Kagami blinked. “Did he get faster?”

Kuroko nodded.

Aomine’s play had seemed to go to another level. He stole from Kise and did the formless shot where he leaned back to shoot.

Kagami frowned as she watched. That was by far the most annoying thing he could do. During their game she had no idea how to stop it with out falling on top of him. And that would only get her a foul.

But then Kaijo had the ball and it was passed to Kise… and he did the exact shame shot, it wasn’t as strong as Aomine’s but he still made the basket.

Kagami leaned forward, hoping that he could copy more of Aomine’s moves.

Aomine did another one of his tricky moves and scored. Kise copied and scored for Kaijo.

The two were then in an all out one on one, with the rest of their teams seeming not to matter. They kept very close to each other as they ran across the court. Two hot guy chasing after each other, guarding each other, reaching around to steal the ball… if she could just be in the middle of that…

Kagami looked down angry. All the generation of miracles she had met so far just had to be hot. And where the hell did that thought come from? She didn’t want to be anywhere near Aomine. Maybe switch him for Midorima or that Murasakibara guy or hell Momoi… but that only led to imagining herself with all five of them.

She shook her head. Like Midroima would ever go for something like that. She had only met Murasakibara… and just no… she didn’t want a relationship with any of them.

 _Come on… it’s just basketball. Just watch the game!_ She told herself. But it was still hard to concentrate.

Kaijo was now eight points down.

“If Kise can score, Kaijo will have enough time for a comeback.” Kiyoshi commented. “But he has to do it soon, there isn’t much time left.”

Kise must have thought the same thing. When he had the ball, he ran at top speed to Kaijo’s basket, passing Aomine. He jumped to score. Kagami thought he had it… but Aomine raced forward, faster than  Kagami had ever seen him run. He jumped and hit the ball out of Kise’s hand. It bounced, almost out of bounds, but Wakamatsu got it.

Kagami could only stare in disbelief. She was sure that, with four fouls, Aomine wouldn’t have taken that risk. He easily could have bumped into Kise, got his fifth foul, and given Kaijo two free throws.

Aomine ran signaling for Wakamatsu to pass to him. Kise followed… but he stumbled and his steps were much weaker.

“Hey what’s happening?” Kagami turned to Kuroko.

Kuroko sighed. “He’s reached his limit.”

Kise was much slower for the rest of the game. He did his best to keep up with Aomine, but Aomine kept scoring.

The final play, Kise did his best to jump and block Aomine, but Aomine dunked right over him.

Kagami sighed, looking down at the ground so that she wouldn’t have to see Aomine, who she expected to be gloating. But then she looked back up.

Kise had fallen to his knees when he landed from that jump and he was unable to stand back up. Aomine stared down at him coldly. For a moment, Kagami thought he was going to redeem himself a little by helping him up, but he walked away.

“What’s his problem.” Kagami folded her arms. She eyed Kuroko, still wondering why he wanted to help that guy. He had changed, and for the worst… but as far a she knew, no where near as bad as Haizaki.

Kasamatsu walked over and helped Kise stand and then to walk over to the lineup. Then the team went back to their benches.

Riko stood up. “Alright everyone, let’s go.”

“Um…” Kagami stopped her from leaving. “Do you think we could watch the other game? Another one fo the generation of miracles is playing…”

She had also wanted time to go find Kise and talk to him. Maybe cheer him up a bit. This loss had to be hard for him, especially after she had told him to win.

Riko shook her head. “I’m sorry, but we can’t keep the busses waiting. I was already pushing it when I asked to stop for a few hours to watch this game.”

Kagami held her head disappointed. She looked at the court watching Kaijo walk back to their locker room. She and Kuroko could probably find Kise later back in Tokyo.

“And I will expect to see you all at practice early tomorrow.”

The rest of the team groaned.

“After a full week of training camp!” Koganei pouted.

“Yes…” Riko glared at him. “You know, it will be very cold this winter…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as you can see, I tried to find every reason to write anything but the game... because it wasn't really going to change at all from canon, except for Aomine getting more douchy and aggressive with his play when he found out that Seirin was watching... which I didn't even write.
> 
> So originally, I had planned to introduce Murasakibara and Haizaki during a game that they were playing against each other. I never liked that Murasakibara got only one game and we only see him lose during the main series. And I figured that Haizaki's team lost to someone in the Inter High and it was like a team with the GOM. So, if he played Yosen that would give me an excuse to give Murasakibara a win. (He really was an underutilized character) 
> 
> But I really didn't want to write another basketball game... and Himuro complicates things. I didn't want Kagami to see him playing a game because then she'd know he's back in Japan, she'd have to confront him probably by text, I'd rather this happen at the street ball game where she can be face to face with him. So I contrived up that meeting in this chapter as I was writing it.
> 
> Anyway, I never like how Haizaki showed up an 11th hour villain. I always felt that he needed more build up and that it was a pretty big deal that he was originally Teiko's fifth man. So I wanted to introduce him earlier in this fic. Set up a conflict between him and Kise, and show he's a real jerk. (Sorry if there are any major Haizaki fans reading!) He assaulted Alex in the show... so I don't think his behavior was off here. 
> 
> And yeah... I kind of want to OT3 Kagami with Kise and Aomine for no other reason that it would hot. Also with Kagami as th dominate one in that relationship. Actually Dom!Kagami x GOM... would be fun to write.
> 
> Honestly, with Aokaga, I feel like I have to give Kise a consolation prize. Like another thing he lost to Aomine lol. Maybe Kikuro? Even though with Aokaga in this AU I like Kuromomo because I think that could be adorable.


	19. Tetsu 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally going to be longer, but then I heard that March 23 is national puppy day so I decided to get it finished by tonight. The second part wasn't really related anyway and I was only putting it with 19 because this and that one are pretty short. But here you go. I may or may not have another update tonight... it just depends how I decide to spend my Friday night.

Riko kept her promise. They had practice the day after they returned. It didn’t bother Kagami. After watching the Kaijo vs Touou game, she had a sudden burst of motivation to practice and learn new skills.  

She arrived to practice early that morning, along with Hyuga, Mitobe, and Kiyoshi. If she was going to learn new basketball moves to use against Aomine, she needed to work on them before practice when they would be running drills and practice games. But anything she came up with was more of the same that she had been doing in the inter high and nothing that would get passed Aomine.

She tried to jump and shoot a three, as Midorima had suggested. But her threes were not very accurate and when she threw them high into the air, they were even less so. She shot several air balls, leading the three other upper classmen to give her the look.

“Just keep practicing Kagami.” Kiyoshi encouraged.

Kagami would have asked him to try to block her if she were more accurate, but she also knew that she wasn’t fast enough when shooting them. If Kiyoshi could block the ball, Aomine could definintly steal it before she ever left the ground.

There was also the other issue that Kise was starting to copy Aomine. What was something she had cheered him on for at that last game was now something that could be a challenge for Seirin in the Winter Cup. She really didn’t want to have to play Aomine twice… even if one was a knock off version.

Kise had copied her in the past. But she could jump higher now… and he likely couldn’t copy something out of the range of his physical abilities.  Even if he could do it only once or twice… that might be enough of a drain on his energy.

Kagami jumped up and dunked… same way as she always did.

“I can’t believe you can jump that high.” Hyuga commented. “Doesn’t that hurt when you land?”

“No.” Kagami shook her head, looking down at her ankles. “Riko’s training really helped.” After practice she would be going to the gym to continue strengthening her legs. “But it’s still no good.”

“What do you mean?” Hyuga walked over.

Mitobe grabbed the basketball and tossed it to her.

“That shot can easily be blocked…” she sighed spinning the basketball in her hands. “I really hope I can learn something from Alex.”

“That’s right, when are you leaving for America?” Kiyoshi asked.

“After the Winter Cup preliminaries.” Kagami said. “I won’t be going to the second training camp in the mountains with you guys… actually, I’ll go to the hot springs, but then I get on a plane the day after.”

“Oh… we’ll miss you.” Kiyoshi said. “But you can probably learn more from that person.”

She nodded. “Yeah hopefully, Alex was a pro.”

“You have a pro helping you!” Hyuga’s eyes widened.

Kagami nodded.

“Then you should definintly learn something!” Hyuga said. “Don’t be lazy!”

“Um… have I ever been lazy about basketball? And like I said, I hope I can learn something.” She really didn’t want the trip to be a waste of Alex’s time. Not that Alex would ever think that. She would be more than happy if Kagami came to visit.

More of the basketball team started to arrive. Riko walked in followed by Izuki, Koganei, Tsuchida and then the first years.

Kuroko walked in ten minutes after the start of practice holding something small and furry.

“Hey Kuroko, what is that?” Furihata walked over. Kagami followed, also curious. It wasn’t like Kuroko to be late.

Kuroko held up a small black and white dog. It was panting and wagging its tail and it yipped as Furihata got closer.

Kagami froze at the sight of it. She started to back away as the rest of the team started to crowd around the puppy.

“It’s so cute!” Riko squealed patting it on the head. “Whose dog is this?”

“I don’t know.” Kuroko said. “I’ve seen her wandering around the park the past few days, so I fed her. And then she started to follow me.”

“She is very thin.” Kiyoshi commented.

“Look at its eyes! It looks like Kuroko.” Koganei laughed.

“It kind of does.” Kawahara said.

“Hey Kagami, come over and see the puppy.” Furihata gestured to her.

Kagami shook her head and backed up a few more steps.

“Hey what’s your problem.” Hyuga looked over at her.

Kuroko started to walk over holding the puppy out to her. She tensed up and felt her skin crawling.

“I’m afraid of dogs!”

Kuroko stopped and pulled the dog back into him.

“Really?” Hyuga folded his arms. “You’re afraid of that cute little thing?”

She nodded and hated admitting it. This was something they would tease her over. Kagami their ace was afraid of little dogs.

“Kagami… a dog this small can’t hurt you.” Izuki said walking over to Kuroko and scratched the dog behind the ears.

She frowned. He could tell that to the bichon fries that bit her when she was eight years old. All she had done was run, pick it up, and hold it tight to her and then it just attacked. She dropped the dog. It bared it’s teeth and growled and then chased her out of the yard.

Himuro had helped her clean the wound and then bandaged up her fingers. Yeah it was a small dog, but it’s bite had still drawn blood… and it hurt.

“And girls are supposed to love cute animals.” Hyuga added.

“Not me.” She shook her head.

The team continued to pet the puppy. Riko didn’t even seem to mind that they were wasting practice time. In fact, she was one of the ones most excited about it, talking to it in baby talk and even taking it from Kuroko and holding it.

“Hey can she be our team mascot?” Koganei asked.

“I don’t know…” Riko looked at Kagami and then back at the puppy. “Everyone on the team has to accept her.”

Tsuchida glanced over at Kagami. “So we just have to help Kagami get over her fear of dogs…”

Kuroko started towards her again with the dog. It was still wagging its tail and looking at Kagami. Kagami tensed up as she imagined it lunging at her and biting her face.

“Tetsuya… that’s not helping.”

He stopped.

“We’ll start slow.” Koganei said. “We’ll have her just look at pictures of dogs!”

Kagami groaned. Facing her fear was going to be inescapable.

“Alright everyone, run your laps…” Riko ordered. I’m going to run to the store to get her some more food.” She started to leave. “Also, before we make any decisions, we need to make she sure she doesn’t have an owner looking for her.”

Riko pet the dog one last time and then left.

The team left the puppy outside the entrance to the gym. Kagami ran fast, putting distance between her and the dog. Of all animals for Kuroko to find lost in the park… it couldn’t have been a cat… or a rabbit… or a mouse. It just had to be the one she was afraid of.

Kiyoshi caught up to her. “Kagami are you really afraid of that cute little puppy?”

She glared at him. “I don’t like any dogs.” She said curtly.

“Even that one?”

She nodded. Not even Kiyoshi was going to convince her to give that dog a chance. It would eventually bite her or someone else.

When they finished their run, Riko had returned from the store and had already given the dog some canned food. It was gulping it up. She also placed a bowl of water next to it and had a collar, a leash, and some toys.

Kagami kept her distance and watched. When it finished, Furihata held out his hand. The dog walked over and sniffed it. Kagami cringed expecting it to bite, but it just licked his fingers and then Furihata patted in on the head.

* * *

 

She got to practice early again the next day, wanting the extra practice. As she reached the door to the gym, the puppy came trotting over wagging it’s tail. She froze up and nearly screamed.

“Taiga are you okay?” Kuroko said right next to her.

She almost screamed again, not knowing that he was right by her.

“Kuroko why did you have to do that!” It had been a while since he had surprised her like that. “And what’s the dog doing here!”

Kuroko picked up the puppy and Kagami put a small gap between them. “I brought her with me… I’m not really allowed to have a dog.”

She groaned. “But you had it at your house last night.”

“I kept her in my room… my parents weren’t home. They never knew she was there. But I can’t leave her at my house.”

“And how long are you going to be able to hide a dog from them?” She raised her eye brow.

Kuroko shrugged.

She groaned and opened the door to the gym. She took one last look at the dog, who was still wagging its tail and seemed to be begging her to pet it. Then she went inside.

A few of the second years were inside practicing, Riko was among them. Upon seeing Kuroko enter with the puppy, she ran over holding up a small Seirin uniform.

“Look what I made!” She took the puppy from Kuroko and put the uniform on it. It fit perfectly and the dog seemed happy to be wearing it. And Kagami had to admit, it was a little cute.

“Hey does she have a name?” Izuki asked.

Kuroko shook his head. “No… I haven’t thought of one for her yet.”

“We should call it Tetsu 2, because it looks so much like Kuroko!” Koganei said reaching for the dog.

“Nigou maybe?” Tsuchida suggested.

“You guys aren’t very creative.” Kagami mumbled and picked up a basketball, ready to get to work.

Through practice, anytime Kagami shot a basket and scored, Nigou yipped from the sidelines. It startled her the first few instances, but it soon became background noise.

At break she sat by herself drinking her water while the others went to pet the dog. She’d glance over watching them. They all enjoyed having it at practice and everyone wanted Nigou to be their mascot.

As the others went back to practice, Kagami took one more drink of her water. In that time, Nigou wandered over, wagging her tail. Kagami tensed up, keeping her eyes on her. The dog was kind of cute.

Kuroko noticed and started to run over to them.

Kagami apprehensively stuck out her hand. Nigou sniffed it. She closed her eyes, expecting it to bite, but the dog only licked Kagami’s fingers. Kagami, her hands shaking, pet the dog on the head.

“Taiga?” Kuroko spoke surprised.

Kagami pulled her hand away, having had enough. “She’s not so bad… just let me know when she’s around… no surprising me.”

Kuroko smiled and nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I finally got Tetsu 2 (Nigou lol I don't want to call it Number 2) introduced. In the manga she comes in much later, and because I have to much other stuff to handle in this fic, I chose to wait to introduce her just to make things easier. But Seirin now has their adorable puppy. And Kagami is of course afraid of her.
> 
> I was going to wait a few more chapters but I'll do another ship because he has been introduced.
> 
> Kagami x Murasakibara. 
> 
> Their biggest shipper: Himuro. He's happy that his childhood friend and his best friend on the basketball team found love.
> 
> When do they become an official couple: Third year. After a game of basketball, and then a big dinner that Kagami cooked. Murasakibara just accidently confesses. Although Kagami knew he had feelings for her all along.
> 
> What do I like about them: They both love basketball and are big eaters. They've also both played center currently or in the past. So much in common right there. I can imagine that they play a one on one and then go eat a huge meal. Kagami also matches his description of the kind of girl he likes. Tall girls. He is the only guy that show Kagami what it's like to have a much taller boyfriend. Kagami can also play as aggressively as she wants with him because she's not going to hurt him. Also my favorite headcanon. Everyone knew Murasakibara was in love with her when she stole food off his plate and he didn't get mad. I also think that Murasakibara was lonely his third year because Himuro graduated. And he'd text Kagami late into the night. (There were so many wasted opportunities for Murakaga in canon! Just Murasakibara being friends with Himuro could have brought so many interesting scenarios! Like how does Murasakibara ultimately feel about Kagami? Does he hang out with Himuro and Kagami when one visits the other? Murasakibara you really got the raw end of the narrative deal)
> 
> If not each other: The obvious answer is Himuro but I actually ship him more with Kiyoshi and the crack ship with Mitobe, only because Mitobe cooks for his huge family every morning and Mura would be nothing for him. I also like him with Kuroko and Momoi because of the height differences.


	20. The Picture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be tacked on to the last chapter just because they are both short. And it reads like a one shot. But there were things I wanted to get around to addressing. This is pretty much a Kagakise chapter.

The rest of the week went by uneventful. The team made flyers with Nigou’s picture on it and a number to call to claim her, but so far no one had. The team was also good about letting Kagami know when the dog would be arriving. She was still nervous around it, but it helped to have warning.

Nigou also seemed to really like her. At break, she would always run right to Kagami. Kuroko or someone else would have to snatch her up as Kagami really didn’t like the dog charging full speed at her. Nigou would also lay down on her bag and one time fell asleep on it, much to Kagami’s annoyance.

Friday she walked home, thinking that she would have the next two days free, but then remembered that it was summer break and that Riko had called for practice every day.

Her phone vibrated, alerting her of a text. She grabbed it and checked. It was from Hyuga telling her to be at practice early the next day. He didn’t need to send that text, she had been early all week.

In the middle of typing a response, a voice called out to her.

“Kagamicchi!”

She looked up from her phone. Kise was walking towards her waving.

“Hey Kise.” She smiled. “What are you doing all the way over here?”

“I had a photoshoot nearby.” He said stopping next to her. “I’ll give you a copy of the magazine.” He grinned.

Looking at him up close she could see that he was wearing makeup, making his eyes stand out. She could get lost staring into them.

Kagami broke eye contact and eyed the ground. “So um… that game last week.” She cringed as she finished. Kagami had only wanted to change the subject but now she wanted to kick herself for bringing that up.

Kise laughed in a way that suggested he was hiding his shame of losing. “Yeah… I’m sorry you had to see that one… it looks like I can’t beat Aominecchi.”

She folded her arms. “You did better against him that I did.” At least Aomine didn’t run circles around him like he had with her. It still pissed her off to think about that game.

“Maybe… but I still lost.” He sighed. “I don’t think I’ll ever beat Aominecchi.”

“Yeah you will.”

“You think so?” He looked up at her.

“Yeah… I mean you were starting to copy him, I think you’ll do it one day, maybe in the Winter Cup.”

He gave her a big smile. “I’m so happy to hear that from you.” She thought he was going to hug her right there.

“And um…” He continued suddenly becoming more serious. “Kurokocchi told me you met Haizaki…”

“Yeah.” Kagami groaned. “I don’t like him.” She’d take being locked for a week in a room with Aomine than spending five seconds with that guy.

“Yeah… you haven’t seen him since then have you?” Kise asked sounding concerned. “I mean, he hasn’t tried to find you at your school?”

“No… I haven’t seen him since the game.” She said now a little worried that the guy might come find her. But he had only wanted her because of that picture that went viral.

Kise breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good, he was always trouble in middle school, especially in his third year. Just if you see him, be careful.”

“I can take him.” Kagami frowned. She still wanted to show up that punk whether in a game or in a fight.

“Um…” Kise laughed nervously. “You really shouldn’t get into a fight with that guy.”

“Why you don’t think I can?” She eyed him.

“No it’s not that!” He said surprised at her response. Then he sighed. “I don’t know what to say to make you not pick a fight with that guy.”

She scoffed. “I wasn’t going to pick a fight with him, why do you think I would do that.”

“Because you were going to fight those five guys at the park.” He seemed to be getting exhausted from the conversation.

She groaned. “Fair enough.” But she still believed that she could easily take him. One punch should do it if he ever decided to give her anymore trouble.

Kise didn’t say anything else about Haizaki. Kagami wanted to know more about the guy, especially when she could play against him in the Winter Cup, but he seemed to be a bit of a sore subject for Kise. That whole instance with him did start over that picture…

“And um…” She might as well address it now as it seemed like it was never going aweay. “I’m sorry about that picture that got taken of us.”

Kise had to think for a moment as if he had forgotten and then laughed. “Nah don’t worry about that…. I explained it to my agent… and I’ve told everyone who’s asked that we’re not dating.” Kise breathed and then looked at her and grinned. “But if you ever wanted to…”

“Didn’t you say that you to beat me in a game before you asked?” Although after meeting Haizaki, it was tempting to go out with him if just to spite the guy.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “I’ll ask you out after Kaijo beats Seirin.”

“And what if you never win?” She grinned at him.

“That won’t happen.” He smirked. “Anyway, you don’t have to worry about that picture, people take them of me all the time… and um… the picture actually made my dad happy.” He looked down at the ground.

“Why?” Kagami raised her eyebrow. It seemed odd… but she had a feeling of what was coming next.

He laughed nervously. “He was starting to think I was into guys… but now he’s talking to me more.”

Kagami had wondered, especially with the way he was around Kuroko. But he had asked her out and which told her he liked girls. However-

“Um…” She looked around to make sure that they were fairly isolated. “Are you? You don’t have to tell me… but I lived in LA where it’s more accepted… and my basketball teacher is… so you can be honest with me.” There was still homophobia in Los Angeles, but she had known many others who were LGBT+ including Alex who openly dated both men and women.

He kept his eyes on the ground. “Yes… but I like girls too. I’m bisexual.”

“I kind of thought you were.” She said smiling.

“And you’re okay with it?” He asked looking up. “I mean… you’d still go out on that date with me?”

“I told you, I’m from LA… I’ve known others.” She said. “And yes, I’d still go on a date with you.” She didn’t understand why that was even a question. He did like girls after all.

This time he did throw his arms around her. “Kagamicchi!” He held her tight. She couldn’t get her arms up to hug him back. And she was a little self-conscious. After all, she had just come from practice.

He let her go and wiped tears out of his eyes. “I… haven’t really told anyone else… can you keep it a secret?”

“Yes, absolutely.” She knew that was something you didn’t tell without permission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you have it. I wanted Kise to be openly bisexual. I know in this fic it was hinted that he wanted a date with both Kuroko and Kagami and he has openly flirted with both of them. But I wanted him to confirm. And yeah... it is very hard to find an isolates spot in a crowded city, but you know what, these boys have long conversations while playing basketball games, sometimes they seem to hear each others thoughts... and finish each others sentences while on opposite sides of the stadium... so I figured we can suspend disbelief that no one else was around at that particular spot lol. But I hope it wasn't too over the top.
> 
> And well Kagami is too but she hasn't realized it yet. Actually... I tend to write fics where everyone is bisexual because I'm a multishipper... unless it is canon that the character is gay or ace or trans and their sexuality has been stated. (So everyone is queer maybe?)
> 
> Next chapter will be the street ball game and it will probably be one of the longer ones depending on how I break it up because there will be a flash back... I still have to work out how I'm going to write it. But finally Himuro comes in.


	21. Himuro

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one will be in three parts. Only because I have to add the flashback in the middle and doing that will not make the chapter flow.

Kagami followed the other first years through the outdoor basketball courts. Earlier that week the first years had brought Kagami and Kuroko a flyer advertising a street ball tournament and begged the two to go with them.

They agreed, knowing that the three of them were frustrated with sitting on the bench at every game. Furihata registered the five of them. However, on the day of the tournament, Kawahara had gotten sick… so Kiyoshi went in his place.

“I finally get to play a game with the first years.” Kiyoshi said as they walked up to the check in booth.

“Uh… I hope we don’t disappoint you.” Furihata laughed nervously.

“No you won’t.” Kiyoshi smiled. “I saw both of you play at the training camp, I think all three of you are good enough to play in a game at the Winter Cup.”

“Heh,” Furihata laughed. “I don’t know about that.”

As they stood in line, Kagami looked around at the other teams warming up. It reminded her of America, more specifically her days as a child when she would play at the courts with her friends… Alex and Himuro… She closed her eyes and focused her thoughts elsewhere, not wanting to get homesick in front of the guys. She also turned her back to Kuroko. He would be the first to notice.

“All of you need to sign in.” The man at the booth said when they reached the front of the line.

Furihata wrote his name down, then Fukada, then Kuroko. When Kuroko finished, Kagami took the pen from him.

The man put his hand over the paper, preventing her from signing. “Sorry… this tournament is for boys only.”

Kagami blinked and looked at him. “Um what?”

“I said that this is only for boys.” The man touched the flyer sitting on the desk, particularly where it said _Men’s Street Ball Tournament_.

Kiyoshi walked up next to her. “She plays on our school team; can you make an exception?”

The man shook his head. “Yeah I know she played on the boy’s team.” He sneered. “And she got injured during the inter high. I’m sorry but she can’t play.”

Kagami looked away, both angry and embarrassed. People still hadn’t forgotten about that injury and now this guy was using it as a reason that she couldn’t play in the street ball tournament. Worse was that there were probably other guys there that had athletic injuries during the season.

“You’ll have to find someone else,” The man continued. “There’s plenty of other guys here looking for a team to join.” Then he looked at Kagami, almost apologetically. “Just cheer them on from the side. I’m sure they’d like that.”

Kagami scoffed, and then imagined herself being a peppy cheerleader trying to do a back hand spring and then falling on her face. If she weren’t angry, she would have laughed out loud.

The team walked away from the booth.

“Kagami I’m so sorry!” Furihata was practically on the verge of tears.

“It’s fine Furihata,” She said. “We didn’t know this was going to happen…” She had gotten so used to being accepted on her team that she had forgotten that there were many others that didn’t like her playing with the boys.

“I guess we should leave.” Furihata said looking longingly at all the other teams.

Kagami shook her head. “No… we’re already here, and you and Fukada want to play.” The two had been looking forward to playing street ball and she didn’t want to ruin it for them. Besides, she got to play in every game for their school. So, she didn’t mind sitting out.

“But, you’re are best player, we don’t want to play without you.” Fukada said.

“You have Kuroko and Kiyoshi, you guys will be fine.” She glanced over at them and both Kiyoshi and Kuroko looked as though they had no idea what to say or do.

“Now go find another player. I’ll do what that guy told me to do and cheer you on from the side…” She punched up similar to what a cheerleader would do, only hers was much sloppier. “but sorry, I don’t have a mini skirt with me.” She winked.

They all looked at her confused, and she didn’t understand why. Japan did have cheerleading.

The search for another teammate began. They first thought of getting someone else from Seirin, like Tsuchida or Mitobe. But Riko had made an exception only for the first years and Kiyoshi to miss practice. She wouldn’t like it if the rest of the first and second string missed.

She looked around for Kuroko, worried that he’d get lost in the crowd. But he was next to her, trailing a little bit behind and on his phone texting. He was about to walk into the back of someone.

“Hey watch where you’re going.” She said grabbing his shoulder and pulling him in front of her.

“Sorry.” He said and went back to texting.

They did find others looking for a team, but none that they wanted. One was a guy from a team they played against in the inter high, and they didn’t particularly get along with him. Two others looked like they could be trouble, they reminded Kagami of Haizaki. Another gave off a creepy vibe that no one liked. One they liked but another team already picked him up.

They finally sat at the far end of the court against the fence.

“Looks like we’re not going to get to play after all.” Furihata sighed.

“Actually…” Kuroko spoke. “I found someone.”

Everyone looked at him. “Who?”

And as if on cue….

“Kurokocchi!” Kise’s voice called out before Kuroko could respond. He was running towards them waving.

“Kise!” Furihata turned to him wide eyed. “One of the generation of miracles is going to play on our team!”

“Um actually-“ Kuroko started.

Kise stopped next to them catching his breath. “I came here as fast as I could.” Then he smiled. “I’m so happy I get to play on a team with Kurokocchi! I get to be your light today!” Then he eyed Kagami. “And Kagamicchi I’m so sorry that they’re not letting you play! But I’ll give Kurokocchi back after. And don’t worry we’ll win.”

“Kuroko couldn’t have found a better replacement.” She said awkwardly. Actually, maybe Aomine would have been better… but she wouldn’t say that out loud to Kise… nor did she want him replacing her.

“Kise-kun you-“ Kuroko tried to speak.

“Kuroko.” A deeper voice interrupted him.

Everyone turned. Midorima and Takao stood on the opposite side of the team as Kise. Midorima looked over the team and if counting everyone and seeming more and more annoyed when he saw that they had enough players.

“Hey everyone!” Takao waved grinning.

“Midorima is here too?” Furihata gasped.

Midorima adjusted his glasses. “Kuroko… you told me you needed another player for your street ball team… but it looks like you do have enough.”

Everyone looked at Kuroko, wanting an explanation.

“Um I texted Kise-kun first… but he didn’t respond… so I figured he couldn’t come…” Kuroko said. “Then I texted Midorima-kun… and he said that he would play.”

Now everyone looked at Kise.

“Um…. I was just trying to get here as fast as I could. I didn’t bother texting because that would have taken up too much time.” Kise explained. Then he grinned. “But, Kurokocchi, I’m so flattered that I was your first choice!” He was about to throw his arms around him.

“No… I just figured that you were more likely to play.”

“So mean!”

Midorima walked over to him annoyed. “Still you should have responded to that text. Then I wouldn’t have had to come here.”

“Um… Shin-chan… you didn’t have to come at all, you could have told Kuroko no.” Takao sighed. “And as soon as you got that text you said that we had to leave right away, I had to tell you to grab your gym clothes…”

Kise smirked. “Well it sounds like you don’t want to play. So I’ll just be their fifth player-”

“No I came all the way here, I’m going to play.” Midorima narrowed his eyes at him.

“But you said you didn’t want to!”

Kiyoshi smiled. “You know what, since both of you were kind enough to be our fifth man, why don’t I sit out and you two can play. This was supposed to be only for the first years, and you two are first years.”

Kise and Midorima looked at him surprised. But Midorima shook his head.

“No,” Midorima said. “Your part of their team, you should play with them.”

“Alright then Midorimacchi agreed to sit out.” Kise smiled.

“I did not! You’re the one who is going to sit out!”

“But their center already said that he would-“

“He wouldn’t have felt the need to suggest that if you had just texted Kuroko!”

Kagami sighed at what this whole thing had turned into. She really didn’t care who was chosen for their team at this point, just as long as Furihata and Fukada got to play.

Takao slipped away from Midorima and sat down next to her.

“When you see them like that,” He pointed to Midorima and Kise. “The generation of miracles aren’t so scary.”

They were both still arguing, and Kiyoshi was trying to work something out between them. And Kuroko stood on the outside of them trying to intervene, but no one noticed him.

“Yeah… I’m ready to just put you in the game and make them both sit out.”

Takao burst out laughing. “Shin-chan would not like that. Besides, they do need another player… or else they will have four very short players.”

That was a good point. Although Takao was a pretty good player and as long as they got the ball to Kiyoshi, they would have no trouble scoring.

“Kagami, did they really tell you that you couldn’t play?”

She nodded frowning. “The guy said that I could cheer the team from the sidelines.”

“That’s rough.” Takao said sympathetically. “You really could play with these guys… but I don’t mind watching the game with you.”

Kagami grinned. “You could cheer them on with me… and I could toss you up in the air.” A thought came to her. When they figured out who would play, one would sit out and there would be three people watching on the sidelines. They could make a pyramid. They’d probably end up dropping Takao, but they could still do it.

“What?” Takao tilted his head. “You want to throw me up in the air?”

“Never mind.” She sighed. None of these boys seemed to know what cheerleading was. Or maybe they just thought it was shaking pom poms and shouting cheers.

Takao leaned back against the fence as a soft breeze blew by.  “Shin-chan really did want to come... don’t believe anything he says otherwise. He wanted to help your team win this.”

She nodded figuring that was the case. He was a tsundere after all, and as Takao had said before, he could have told Kuroko no.

 “And…” He continued. “you know that bow you gave Shin-chan… he still has it, he keeps it in his gym bag.”

“Really?” Her eyes widened. It had taken her and Riko several tries to tie that bow, and in the end, it was so poorly done that she had been embarrassed to give it to him.

Takao laughed. “Yeah but don’t tell him I told you that, he’d kill me.”

As she was looking at Takao, she saw someone familiar out of the corner of her eye walk by. If she had blinked, she would have missed him. She turned her head to take a closer look. It was exactly who she thought it was.

“Do you see someone you know?” Takao asked looking in the same direction.

“Yeah…” She stood up and walked to catch up to that person. Takao got up and followed.

She pushed through the crowd, keeping her eye on him. He seemed to be looking around for a team to join. If she had seen him earlier it would have saved a lot of trouble because she knew he was a good basketball player.

“Tatsuya!” she called out. She wanted to run up and hug him… but those last few conversations they had played over and over and she wasn’t sure how he would feel about seeing her.

Himuro turned and looked. He squinted. “Taiga?” He said as if he didn’t believe she were right in front of him. He moved towards her. “I didn’t expect to see you here.” He spoke in English.

“I came to play street ball, but they’re not letting me because I’m a girl.” She answered in English.

“You didn’t see that it was men’s street ball?” Himuro tilted his head.

Takao looked between the two of them, looking lost.

“Yeah… but I play on Seirin’s boys team.” She said folding her arms. There was something that bothered her about the meeting. If felt as if they were only acquaintances who had last seen each other weeks ago. Not close childhood friends.

 “Wow, Kagamicchi is speaking fluent English.” Kise as he and the others caught up to them. “Midorimacchi can you understand what they are saying?”

“Um… it’s a little different than what we learn in school.”

“English is my best subject, but I can only understand a little bit of what they are saying.” Takao sighed.

She ignored the others.

“Anyway, when did you get back to Japan?”

“Last March.” He said looking away from her. “My parent’s divorced so my dad moved me back here.”

It almost hurt to hear that. His parents had always seemed like a great couple and she really liked his mom. But… he had been in Japan since March and had not once contacted her.

“Why didn’t you tell me!” She said louder and angrier than intended. She bit her lip and hoped that the others weren’t concerned.

“Um… I didn’t think you were still in Japan… I heard your father got transferred gain.”

She sighed…. Knowing the real reason. Himuro was likely still in contact with Alex. She would have told him if Kagami had moved.

Kiyoshi walked up to them. “So you’re Kagami’s friend?” He said struggling with the English.

“Oh… Just speak Japanese.” Himuro spoke in their language.

Kiyoshi smiled. “That’s a relief. So how do you know Kagami?”

“Yes.” Himuro said. “I’m her fiancé.”

“Fiancé!” Everyone but Kuroko and Midorima exclaimed, yet they still looked shocked. The outburst startled a few guys around them.

“Really Tatsuya?” Kagami groaned grabbing the ring that hung on the chain around her neck.

“All her lovers in one place.” Fukada said quietly, but Kagami still heard him.

 “Kagamicchi, you never told me that you were engaged!” Kise said walking up next to her and looking almost distraught.

 “Don’t listen to him, we were just kids.” She glared at Himuro. It was embarrassing that he had to bring up something that they decided when they were naïve kids. Alex never stopped teasing them about it.

“Yeah she’s right.” Himuro laughed. “I’m just her childhood friend.”

 “Oh I see, so you two were very close.” Kiyoshi said.

“We were for many years.” Himuro said. “We spent every day together. But then she moved back to Japan.”

He turned his attention back to her, his eyes no longer warm and welcoming. “Taiga… today we can fulfill that promise.” He gestured her to follow. “Let’s go play a game.”

“Um… did you forget that I told you that they’re not letting me play?” And she didn’t understand why he had to bring up that incident again. It had happened a little over two years ago.

“No… not here, we’re going to find another basketball court.” He counted the others. “We need one more person, and then we’ll have enough for a five on five, and there’s someone I think I can get to come... two of them might be happy to see him again… and you’ve already met him Kagami.”

She scoffed, wondering why he was being so cryptic.

“Um… I know of a nearby court.” Takao said.

Kagami raised her eyebrow at him. “You really want to do this?”

“Yeah, I get to play now.” He grinned. “Come on Shin-chan, you know which one I’m talking about.”

Surprising to her, Midorima also seemed to be going along with it. He and Takao led the group with Himuro right behind them.

“I can’t believe you guys are actually doing this.” She whispered to Kiyoshi. Just what was Himuro doing deciding that they were all going to play streetball together? He didn’t know any of them.

“We just want to play basketball, and we’re happy that you get to play with us.” Kiyoshi said, friendly as always. He almost seemed too good to be true at times.

“But the other two…”

Kiyoshi laughed. “That glasses guy will find any reason to spend time with you, and the model, hasn’t he made it clear that he likes you? Of course they’re going to play.”

She eyed the ground to hide her face from getting red.

“Kagami… he’s not an ex is he?” Kiyoshi asked referring to Himuro.

“No…” She shook her head. “We kissed once, but we only did it because we didn’t want to be the last of our friends to kiss someone.” Her past relationship with Himuro… was complicated. When they were kids they had said that they were going to marry each other when they were older, but as they got older, and much closer… the fear of losing their friendship got in the way of starting any romantic relationship.

“Taiga… he’s your childhood friend, but he’s being cold to you.” Kuroko said. Himuro was way ahead of them and never once looked back at her. “And you two made a promise? What happened?

She looked up at the blue sky, unsure of where to start. “That’s… kind of a long story.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next we will have the flash back, and then the game. I'll try to get them out this week. And then I'll be busy all weekend.
> 
> I can't believe I wrote Kiyoshi playing team dad to Kise and Midorima...
> 
> Anyway, here is some fanart of fem Kagami that I really like and is close to how I imagine she would look. My Kagami has shorter hair, her pony tail would reach about to the bottom of her shoulder blades. They are all shipping fanart, mostly aokaga, Kagakuro, and even an Akakaga.
> 
> https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=33678442
> 
> https://gumdroplice.tumblr.com/image/171645329182
> 
> https://i.pinimg.com/originals/63/10/c4/6310c41c023f71a1d57a8914ac645295.jpg
> 
> https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=34522971


	22. Childhood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I managed to get this part edited. The next chapter is written and just needs editing so hopefully it will be out soon. And although Kagami is telling her team what happened between her and Himuro, she isn't going into quite this much detail. She's really just giving them a basic rundown.

_9 years ago_

Kagami walked through the park, looking for kids to play with. It was a sunny day an mid June and the park was full. Kids were playing in the sand box, on the swings, climbing on the play sets. The only problem… she didn’t speak much English.

Her family had moved to Las Angeles one week ago. Her dad had been transferred for a job. So far, she didn’t like it. The time zone was different, no one spoke her language and all her friends were back home.

A basketball rolled past her. She watched it until it stopped a few feet away from her.

 “Hey!” A boy standing at the edge of the basketball court called out to her. “Can you get that for us?” He asked in English.

Kagami only looked at him. She didn’t understand a single word he had said.

“Um hello… did you hear me?” He asked getting impatient.

She could feel her face getting red. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re saying.” She said in her language.

She was about to walk away, but another boy came running off the court. He stopped in front of her and leaned over to catch his breath.

“You speak Japanese!” He said between breaths.

She stared at him, almost not believing he had spoken her language. But getting a closer look at him, he did have Japanese features.

 “My family moved her two years ago.” He said. “When did you get here?”

“Last week.”

“Wow you’re new! How do you like America?”

“Um… I don’t know.” She looked away from him.

“Hey Tatsuya! Come on we want to start the game.”

“Hang on!” He turned back to Kagami. “Come play with us.” He said. “You’re taller than most of my friend’s, you’d be good.”

“Um… okay.” She hadn’t ever really played the game. Only on those plastic toy hoops. But she needed friends and this was the only kid around her age she had met that spoke Japanese.”

“I’m Himuro Tatsuya by the way.” He said.  


“I’m Kagami… Taiga.” She introduced herself.

Tatsuya grabbed her hand and led her on to the basketball courts. She shrunk back when she saw that it was all boys, wondering if they would want her to play.

“Taiga is going to play with us.” He said in English. Then he looked at her and spoke Japanese. “I hope you don’t mind, everyone here calls each other by their first names.”

“It’s fine.” She said. It was odd, but she did want to fit in with the others.

“Tatsuya you brought a girl!” One of the boys said in disbelief.

 “We need another player to make the teams even.” He said.

“Can she even play?”

“What does it matter, she’s taller than most of us.”

Kagami had no idea what they were saying, but from their tone, she knew the boys likely didn’t want her to play.

 “Fine we’ll let her play.” One of his friends said. “She’s on your team.”

“Do you know how to play?” He asked her.

“Kind of.” She shrugged. “Just throw the ball into the net right?”

Himuro gave her a quick run down of the rules. They weren’t too complicated. But then she looked up at the net and how high it was. She would never be able to throw the ball that high.

“Just try to stop the others from scoring, you’re tall enough to block their shots. And pass me the ball whenever you get it. We’ll be fine.”

The game… went alright. She was clumsier than the others, it being her first time playing. And she had trouble keeping up with the guy she was supposed to guard. But one time she did get lucky and stole a pass. Then she passed to Himuro. He shot the ball at the free throw line… and it went in the basket.

“Good job Taiga!” He gave her a high five.

She returned it confused. He was the one that scored the points.

* * *

 

Despite not being very good, she did have fun playing the game. So much, that the next morning, she begged her mom to buy her a basketball. After, she went to the park to practice. She practiced dribbling, then running and dribbling, which she managed to master pretty quick. And then she tried to throw the ball up into the basket. It didn’t even come close to the net.

“Try it like this.”

She jumped and screamed. She hadn’t heard Himuro approach and now she was embarrassed by that shot she tried to make.

He held the ball and modeled a shot.  Then she tried… but still came no where close to the net.

“Like this.” He said placing the ball in her hands and then standing behind her and grabbing her arms. He awkwardly mover her arms the way he did when he shot the ball.

“Now you try.” He said.

She had no idea what he did or how that was supposed to help. But she shot the ball anyway… and still missed.

Everyday they would practice together. Himuro would help her make a basket and teach her other skills. And then they would play with their friends in the afternoon. The other boys were soon fine with Kagami playing with them once she had gotten better. And soon, they were inviting more girls to play.

Himuro also helped her with her English. It was improving, especially now that she had more friends. By the fall, she would be ready to start school.

It took about a month of practicing before Kagami finally made a basket. She lined herself up and threw the ball. It hit the backboard and then fell into the net.

“I did it!” She cried out.

“Yay Taiga!” Himuro walked over and gave her a fist bump.

Later they were sitting on a bench eating ice cream Himuro had bought for them. She could have eaten five of them, but she wouldn’t ask Himuro to buy that many for her.

“You really like strawberry.” He said watching her eat.

“Mmmhmm.” She responded and continued to eat.

“You know…” Himuro continued. “We should get married one day.”

“What!” That was what took her away from her snack and she nearly dropped her ice cream. “Married?”

“Yeah… I’m a boy, you’re a girl, we’re both Japanese and we love basketball… my parents said that you should marry someone that you have things in common with. And I don’t mean now, I mean when we’re grownups.”

“After we get married, we’ll get to live in the same house?” She asked. The thought of living without her parents scared her, but it wouldn’t be for a longtime. But it could be fun living with Himuro.

“Yeah, married people live together.” He laughed. “And then we’ll have kids, and we’ll teach them to play basketball.”

“Um okay, let’s get married when we’re older.”

 Himuro smiled. “I have an idea.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

“Hey!” She yelled not having expected it.

She still managed to eat her ice cream as he dragged her to the other side of the park. Although, some had gotten on her nose. Himuro took her to a vendor that sold jewelry and bought two rings.

“Here you go.” He put one on her finger. And another on his own. “You need these to get married. And you get them when someone asks you.”

She looked at the ring. It was really pretty, bronze with a red stone in the middle. “But how are we supposed to play basketball with these?”

“Hmm…” Tatsuya walked back to the vendor and bought two chains. He slipped his ring on one chain and wore it around his neck. He gave the other to Kagami. She did the same thing.

“Now we can wear them and play.” He grinned at her.

She smiled back at him.

“And um…” He blushed. “We’re supposed to kiss… but kissing is gross, so we don’t have to.”

It was her turn to blush. “Yeah… it is.”

* * *

 

That evening, she entered her house. Her mom had dinner ready and her parents were at the table waiting on her.

“Taiga how was your day?” Her mother asked as Kagami sat down.

Kagami grinned “I’m going to get married.”

“Married?” Her dad looked up from his food. “Aren’t you a little too young for that?’

“When I’m older.” She said and took a bite of her food.

“Well that’s a relief, I’m not ready for you to leave the house just yet.” Her mom laughed. “So who’s the lucky guy?”

“Tatsuya.” She said almost blushing. Then she grabbed the ring and showed it to her parents.

“Wow he even got you a ring.” Her mom said. “I do like him… you’ll invite us to the wedding right?”

“Um yeah.” I should have been obvious that they were invited. Your parents were supposed to be at your wedding.

“Well you will make a beautiful bride someday Taiga…” Her dad said. “I bet you’ll look just like your mother.”

* * *

 

_2 years later_

“What happened here?” Alex asked putting rubbing alcohol on a cut on Kagami’s lip.

“I got into a fight.” She said curtly and folded her arms.

“A fight!” Alex pulled the cotton away from her mouth. “Kagami who… why were you fighting?”

“I had to, some boy was picking on him.” She pointed at Himuro.

Himuro broke eye contact with them both.

“Well this is dangerous, you really could have gotten hurt!” Alex started to clean a scrape on her knee.

“Not for her, you should have seen the other guy.” Himuro said.

“What you won!” Alex looked at her, trying to hide her pride.

Kagami nodded grinning. The boy was taller than her, and likely stronger. But it only took two punches to his face before he got a bloody nose and ran off. She had one of her friends to thank, a boy that was taller than her.

“Um Kagami… you really didn’t have to fight the guy.” Himuro said looking down at the ground.

“Yeah I did, you were going to get beat up! And you can’t fight!”

“But the other guys are going to-“

“Kagami.” Alex said firmly. “If the other kids are causing trouble, you need to get an adult.”

She looked down at the ground. “Okay…”

* * *

 

_4 years later_

They stood next to each other, dressed up. Kagami wore a knee length black dress. Alex had spent hours doing her hair and make up and even lent her some jewelry to wear.

“You two are so cute!” Alex exclaimed as she snapped another picture. “I can’t believe how grown up you both are!” She took another picture. “Tatsuya, put your arm around her this time… or maybe it should be the other way around, Kagami is much taller.”

Himuro put his arm around her waist.

“You two will look so cute at your wedding in a few years.”

They both laughed.

“Come on Alex… we told you, we were just kids back then.” Himuro said.

 “You still are kids.” Alex said. “You still wear those rings and this is the second school dance you both have gone to together.”

They both grabbed their rings.

“They’re really just friendship rings now.” Himuro said.

“Yeah… and we just go with each other because… it’s just awkward asking someone else.” The very thought made her feel sick. And she was taller than nearly all the boys in her class. Boys didn’t want girls that were taller than them so she couldn’t count on anyone asking her.

“By the way Taiga, I saw that game the other day, you’ve gotten really good!” Alex complimented. “Half those boys could barely keep up with you!”

Kagami smiled but Himuro hung his head.

* * *

 

Late fall, Kagami and Himuro were playing one on one. Kagami stole the ball from him, and ran to the basket. He tried to block, but she jumped, higher than he could and dunked the ball, winning the one on one.

“Wow Taiga!” One of her friends exclaimed running over to her. Several others followed.

She smiled. Not many thirteen-year olds could dunk, especially girls, and she was enjoying all the attention.

Two others walked over to Himuro.

“Tatsuya did you seriously get beat by a girl again?” One of the guys laughed. She barely over heard it as she was too buys receiving compliments from the others.

“Um… I… I’ll win next time.”

“I don’t know… Taiga is pretty good. Remember when you were the one teaching her?” The guy laughed.

* * *

 

A week later, they were playing a game of street ball, both were on opposite teams. Himuro had the ball and tried to shoot, but she jumped up and blocked it. She held the ball and passed it to a team mate. It got passed back to her. Himuro ran to guard her but she maneuvered around him and then jumped up and dunked the ball, scoring the final point for her team.

“Yay Kagami!” one of her teammates gave her a fist bump.

“Tatsuya your girlfriend is much better than you now.” A guy laughed.

“Yeah what the hell happened to you? You should seriously just go join the girl's team!”

Himuro slammed his foot on the ground and let out a yell. “She’s not my girlfriend!”

They way he said it almost hurt, like the very thought disgusted him. But she knew he was just frustrated from losing. The other boys wouldn’t shut up anytime he lost to her. And she noticed that his play had gotten sloppier and sloppier whenever they’d play a one on one.

Kagami pushed through her team and ran to him. “Tatsuya are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” He snapped.

* * *

 

The weeks following, he had gotten cold towards her. She’d text him and he’d either not respond or tell he was too busy to chat. And he avoided playing basketball with her, suggesting that they do something else. She knew why, the others kept teasing him every time she’d win.

She wanted to say something to them, tell them to shut up and knock it off and that she could probably beat them all in a one on one, but she never did.

Weeks later, their friends were playing another game of street ball, and again they were on opposite teams. Kagami didn’t really want to play, knowing what would happen once the game ended.

Then an idea came to her. If Himuro won, the guys would stop teasing him and things could go back to normal.

During the game, she played sloppy, missing shots, letting the ball get stolen and missing a block anytime Himuro when to shoot the ball. The rest of her team still played their hardest and Himuro’s team barely won.

She smiled at him as the game finished and was about to congratulate him. But he glared at her.

“Kagami…” He said coldly. “What was that?”

“Um… you won… that’s all.” She broke eye contact with him.

Then she overheard someone off the court. “Can you believe it! His girlfriend let him win!”

“Yeah she really felt bad for him. I mean, Taiga never plays that bad.”

He gave her an icy glare. “No, you lost on purpose!” He yelled. “Why would you do that!”

“Um… I just thought…”

“This game doesn’t count! Next time we play for real!” He grabbed his ring. Kagami thought he was going to take it off. He looked down at the ground and then at her nearly in tears. “Promise me you’ll play for real next time?”

“Um… yeah I will.” She said feeling numb all over. Himuro had never yelled at her like that.

 He turned away from her and walked off.

* * *

 

They didn’t speak to each other for weeks. Kagami would text him, but he’d tell her that he was too busy to talk. She hung out with her other friends, but she still missed him. Some days, she'd constantly check her phone to see if he texted her back. 

The basketball season started up that Winter, and neither had any time for a street ball game. Himuro did start to talk to her more, and they even went to a movie together. But they were still drifting apart.

And then that spring, Kagami’s dad was transferred back to Japan.

“Remember… next time we play for real.” He said holding his ring. “When you come back to visit.” He said.

She nodded. They hugged, but it was weak, unlike Alex’s who hugged her very tight and Kagami didn’t think she was ever going to let her go.

If she were being honest, she never wanted to play that street ball game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Himuro obviously had a very childish understanding of marriage lol. And quite simplified and traditional. But he and Kagami were just kids and only had their parents as examples. 
> 
>  
> 
> I'll give you another one of these.
> 
> Kagami x Himuro
> 
> Their biggest shipper: Alex. Alex has been shipping this since the day she met them. And she would be crying at their wedding.
> 
> What I like about them: I'm honestly not really a fan of childhood friend ships. But I do like this one. They have enough angst to get me interested. And again, it goes against gender roles with Kagami being the taller and tougher one. I always imagine them in the Kuroko's birthday episode, making that food for the party together, and yeah that's cute. They're a nice break up and get back together couple... even though they were never dating. But yeah, the wiki says that Kagami has a father but no mother, so I'm assuming that she's no longer among us. That means Himuro was likely around when she died... so for fem Kagami, yeah he was there everyday comforting her, so he pretty much knows her better than anyone else their age.
> 
> When do they start dating: After the Winter Cup first year. They have a long distance relationship. I figure that Himuro goes to her apartment with flowers and tells her that he's sorry for everything that happened in the States. Kagami apologizes for not doing more. And they talk all night, things feel like they gone back to the way before everything with street ball happened, and then they probably end up sleeping together. 
> 
> Otherwise for Himuro, Kagami could be "the one that got away."
> 
> If not each other: I honestly don't really ship Himuro that much... but I do like him with Takao, only because of the birthday episode.


	23. Street Ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the final part of street ball. Murasakibara finally makes his appearance.

They waited at the court for Himuro’s friend. Because of the tournament, no one else was playing there that day, so they had a free court.  

She watched Takao wonder a little away from Midorima to talk to Furihata and Fukada. Midorima was talking to Kiyoshi while Kise stood near them looking over at Himuro.

 Kagami sat up against a fence next to Kuroko watching Himuro as he stood off by himself texting. She had wanted to talk to him about everything that had happened in America, but as soon as she started to bring it up, he said that he had to talk to his friend and that he would speak to her after. But it had been almost thirty minutes and he was still on his phone.

“Um Kagami.” Kuroko spoke.

She eyed him.

“You friend… he gives off the same energy as the generation of miracles…”

“Himuro?” He was good, but their level? But she hadn’t seen him in almost two years so maybe he had gotten better.

She did miss him. Kagami wondered if things would go back to the way they were if he won. But she also didn’t like the idea of their friendship ending over gender politics.

“Why don’t I get to be on Kurokocchi’s team?” Kise pouted.

“Because it wouldn’t be fair if Kuroko’s team had three players from Teiko!” Midorima explained for the third time.

“But why can’t you be on that other guy’s team?”

“Because they already have a shooting guard, they don’t need two. Kuroko also said that you were going to be the one to sit out that last game.”

“Shin-chan, admit it, you just want to be on Kagami’s team.”

“No! I mean… we’re just trying to make the teams fair!”

Takao walked back to Furihata and Fukada laughing.

And then there were others who didn’t mind losing to her. She glanced at Kuroko, who had gone right up to her and told her that he would be her shadow, never even once being concerned that she was a girl.

But she had the history with Himuro. They had grown up together and he had been the one that taught her the basics of the game. If it wasn’t for those stupid kids at the basketball court, things might not have changed between them.

Kise sat next to them.

“Kagamicchi… your friend is really cute.” He whispered.

Kagami had thought he had been loud enough for Kuroko to overhear, but Kise didn’t seem concerned. And Kagami knew Kuroko well enough that he probably already figured out that Kise liked men.

She glanced at Himuro who was watching them, but as soon as she looked at him he focused his attention back on his phone.

“But I guess he’s taken.” Kise laughed.

“I told you, we weren’t really engaged, we were just kids.” She groaned. When they were children, every adult thought it was adorable when they would tell them that they were getting married. And as they got older, they would never let them forget it. Although, she would be lying if she had said that she had never seriously considered it growing up. And now that he was a second year in high school… he was kind of hot.

“Hey Murasakibara!” Himuro called out.

Kagami looked over, unsure if she had heard him right. Sure enough, the tall purple haired guy she had met at the Touou vs Kaijo game was walking onto the court, holding a bag of chips.

“Murasakibaracchi!” Kise shouted staring at the taller boy. “You’re our fifth player?”

Kagami just stared at the tall boy. That meant Himuro was attending Yosen… and that he was on a team with one of the generation of miracles. It was a bit of a coincidence that they both ended up on a team with one of the Teiko miracles, even if it was debatable whether Kuroko was considered a part of them.

Murasakibara glanced at two of his former teammates and walked right up to Himuro. “Muro-chin you didn’t tell me Kise-chin and Mido-chin were going to be here.”

“It’s a nice surprise isn’t it?” Himuro smiled at him. “And I think you missed one.” He pointed to Kuroko.

Murasakibara put a chip in his mouth. “Kuro-chin?”

Kuroko got up and walked over to them. Kagami followed. She didn’t really know him, at the inter high game she had mostly talked to Haizaki while Murasakibara just stood there watching.

Murasakibara reached down and put his hand on top of Kuroko’s head. “You’re so small I could crush you.”

“Please stop that.” Kuroko pushed his hand away.

Murasakibara laughed and removed his hand. “Just kidding, I wouldn’t do that.”

Then he turned to Kagami. “And the girl that was going to fight Zaki-chin is also here.” He eyed her up and down.

Kuroko looked up at her and frowned. She gave a sheepish laugh.

“You’re so tall, are you really a girl?” He started to put his hand on top of her head, but she ducked out of the way.

“Murasakibara, keep your hands to yourself.” Himuro said to him. “And yes, she really is a girl. This is Kagami.”

“Oh that girl that you loved?”

Himuro’s face got red. “I told you that was just something we did when we were kids.”

“But you said-“

“Wait… when did she meet Haizaki?” Midorima stepped up Murasakibara, and Himuro seemed grateful for the interruption.

“At the inter high quarter finals.”  Murasakibara said and then ate another chip.

“And he was giving her trouble? Did you give her any help?” Midorima glared at him.

Murasakibara shook his head. “Why would I do that?”

“Because you know how he is!” Midorima yelled.

Kagami folded her arms. “I could have handled him.” she spoke quietly.

Murasakibara shrugged. “Zaki-chin can’t fight.”

“You still should have done something!”

“Kagami, are you still getting into fights?” Himuro asked grinning.

“Still!” Kise’s exclaimed.

“The other guy started it.” She scoffed. Kagami may have had no choice but to fight him by the way he was acting. She had met enough guys like him, the kind that wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“Um… are we going to play or not?” Takao asked putting his hand on his forehead.

Himuro looked up at Murasakibara. “Are you ready to play?”

Murasakibara scoffed. “It’s a pain, but you said that I probably couldn’t win…” He frowned. “I’ll show you that I will.”

“Murasakibaracchi, did all it take to get you to play was someone taunting you?” Kise sighed.

Kagami didn’t know what to think of Murasakibara. From what she had heard from Kuroko, it sounded like he didn’t even really like basketball. Yet he was considered one of the five best high schoolers in the country. His mannerisms were strange, and he seemed a bit… immature?

Kiyoshi approached Murasakibara. “It’s been awhile.” He said warmly.

Murasakibara tilted his head. “Huh? Who are you?”

“I’m Kiyoshi, we played against each other in middle school.”

Midorima put this hand on his forehead. “Murasakibara you know who he is. You don’t need to be rude.”

Murasakibara shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t remember him… I don’t remember weak people.”

“Hey!” Midorima got up into Murasakibara’s face. “Apologize to him for that!”

“No.”

Kagami groaned. She thought Murasakibara was… alright, if a little odd. But then he outright insulted Kiyoshi. She clenched her fist… now her team was going to have to win. She eyed Himuro, who seemed a little embarrassed by his friend. But he said nothing.

Kuroko touched her arm and she relaxed. He gave Murasakibara one of his rare ice glares.

“Tetsuya?” She almost took a step back.

“I don’t like what he said either.” Kuroko said with little emotion in his voice.

Furihata took notice of her and Kuroko and moved closer to them. “Kuroko, what’s with that guy?”

Kuroko sighed. “He’s a genius at basketball… but inept at everything else…”

“So he’s a moron?” Takao laughed. Kagami hadn’t even realized that he was nearby. “He sounds like a real piece of work.”

“He has… issues.” Kuroko said. “And he has trouble getting along with others… I did like him in middle school… we got along… except for anything related to basketball.”

Murasakibara ate another chip as Midorima continued to scold him. He looked up at the sky and shoved more chips into his mouth, tuning out Midorima. But Midorima kept at it, as if oblivious that Murasakibara wasn’t even paying attention.

It was almost amusing to watch. Midorima came off as more of a parental figure to him than his former teammate. And Murasakibara just put up with it.

Kiyoshi put his hand on Midorima’s shoulder. “Why don’t we just play the game. Then we’ll see if he remembers me.” Kiyoshi smiled but the corner of his mouth was twitching.

The teams had already been decided before Murasakibara had arrived. Everyone got into position for the tip off.

“This is going to be so weird not being on Shin-chan’s team.” Takao noted. He looked over at Midorima and stuck his lip out.

“Why do I have to be on Kise-chin’s team.” Murasakibara scoffed as he stood across from Kiyoshi.

“Hey what’s wrong with me!” Kise pouted.

“You’re the weakest of us, but I guess your stronger than those two.” He was referring to Takao and Fukada.

“Fine, would you rather Midorimacchi and I swi-“

“Murasakibara just play the game!” Midorima interrupted and then adjusted his glasses.

They had no ref, so Midorima threw the ball for the tip off. Kiyoshi jumped, putting in all of his strength to get higher than Murasakibara. He reached for the ball and hit it to Kuroko and then ran to the basket. Kuroko passed to him and Kiyoshi caught the ball and dunked before Murasakibara had time to react.

Kagami smiled. She hadn’t even left the spot from the start of the game and they already had two points.

Murasakibara glared at Kiyoshi. “Oh, now I remember you, and you’re going to wish I didn’t.”

Takao now had the ball. He looked at Midorima nervously and passed to Kise. Kise ran with it, Midorima went to guard him, but before he got to him, he passed to Himuro, and then grinned at Midorima, who only looked annoyed.

Kagami ran to guard Himuro, catching Kuroko out of the corner of her eye looking surprised as he stared at Kise. Himuro dribbled trying to keep his back to her. She maneuvered around him almost able to catch up. She was almost taken aback by how intense his eyes were as he avoided her. And then he turned around quickly and shot the ball and scored a point.

She nearly kicked the ground. It was one of his moves that had always gotten her when they were younger. When they were teens, she finally figured out how to stop that shot. But it had been awhile since they played each other, and she had let her guard down.

Ever since Kiyoshi had scored, Murasakibara stood under the basket not moving, even when his team was on offence. Once he even yawned. 

Furihata now had the ball. He froze, unsure of what to do as both Kise and Takao ran towards him.

“Over here!” Midorima called out.

Furihata passed the ball and Midorima caught it. Seeing that the ball was going to him, Murasakibara moved from under the basket and ran up to guard him. If he hadn't stopped he could have run down Midroima. He held his hands up ready to block Midorima's shot. He towered over everyone that he would likely have no trouble blocking Midorima. 

Midorima threw the ball to Kuroko who hit it to her. She stared at the ball, unable to believe that Midorima had passed instead of finding a way to make that shot.

“Shin-chan did you just pass!” Takao yelled.

Waiting to take the shot was a mistake. Kise was now in front of her. She had to turn quickly to stop him from stealing the ball right out of her hands. But she dribbled and stopped behind the three point line and then jumped and shot the ball. He jumped to block her but he couldn’t get nearly as high as her. She watched, hoping the ball would go in. And it did. She turned to Midorima and smiled at him.

Midorima covered his face and turned away from her. 

“How did you jump that high!” Kise exclaimed still looking at the height she had jumped.

“Training.” Kagami was so grateful for that training regime Riko had given her at the camp. Otherwise, Kise probably would have blocked her.

Fukada had the ball and scored for the other team. It was only possible because Kise blocked her from guarding him. But the teams were now even.

And then Seirin had the ball. Furihata passed to her. Himuro marked her. She played maneuvering around him as if it were a one on one. He was far more aggressive as he tried to steal the ball than Kagami had ever remembered and she thought he was going to foul her. She was about to pass to Midorima, when there was a flash of lightning followed by rain drops.

Everyone looked up at the sky, none of them having noticed that it had gotten cloudy.

“Oh well.” Kiyoshi shrugged his shoulders. “We’ll have to continue this some other time.”

“No,” Kagami looked at Himuro. “Let’s keep playing, just you and me.”

“Kagami there’s a storm.” He rolled his eyes. “We need to go inside.”

“Yeah Kagami, you don’t want to slip and fall, you’ve already had one injury this year.” Kiyoshi said.

She hung her head and didn’t respond.

Kiyoshi walked over to Murasakibara. “We’ll play each other at the Winter Cup.” He smiled.

Murasakibara folded his arms. “You’re going to lose.”

“We’ll see.”

Himuro eye her his face completely serious. “Yes… we’ll settle this at the Winter Cup. Don’t lose before your team plays Yosen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I don't know where Kise finding Himuro attractive came from. That's a bit of a crack ship lol. 
> 
> It might seem out of character that Murasakibara ran out from under the net to guard Midorima. But I figured Murasakibara knew that he couldn't block his high arc shot and could only stop him from scoring by blocking him. And Midorima knew that Mura could stop his shot so he passed. Maybe that's why he learned to have Takao pass to him while he was jumping to shoot his shot, to be ready to play against Murasakibara.
> 
> And we didn't see it in chapter 21, but Kuroko basically told Kise that Midorima was playing because he didn't respond to the text. Of course, everyone ended up playing in a game anyway.


	24. Rain and Festivals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one is in two parts. The second is just something extra that I was working on, it got a little crack ficcy... but I posted it anyway in a few parts. It honestly works better as fanart or a comic strip or a tumblr text post... but I'll post it here anyway.

Himuro and Murasakibara didn’t stay long after the storm began.  They’re team would be leaving for Akita soon. Kagami had tried to get Himuro to stay a little longer, just to talk to him about everything that had happened… but he insisted that he and Murasakibara had to leave.

Seirin parted ways with Kise, Midorima, and Takao. Riko did expect them back at the gym for more practice.

The rain got heavier and by the time they arrived back at school, they were all soaked. Kagami’s shirt clung to her and she didn’t want to know the state of her hair, which she only assumed to be a big mess up in its ponytail. She went right to the locker room, barely saying hello to Riko and the second years.

She took her hair out of its pony tail and did her best to dry it off. Then she took off her wet clothes and dried herself off with a towel. She pulled out a spare pair of clothes from her locker. She had about three sweat shirts and sweat pants that had been there since the beginning of the school year. Her hair was still damp when she put it back up into its ponytail, but it was as dry as it was going to get.

The other first years were already back at practice by the time she got to the gym. It was much easier for them to change and dry off than it was for her.

“Kagami.” Riko met up with her. “Did they really tell you that you couldn’t play?”

She nodded. “Yeah it was boys only… but I still got to play outside the tournament… until it rained.” She frowned. She really wanted to finish that game, hoping that it would resolve things between her and Himuro. But now she was going to have to wait until Seirin played Yosen… and even then, if either of them were eliminated during the Winter Cup, she’d have to wait even longer.

Touou and Yosen… two very important games for her during the Winter Cup. In some ways, moreso than winning the entire thing.

“Yeah you played street ball against fiancé? Why didn’t you tell us that you were engaged?”

She glared at the others, knowing that they had done that on purpose for the rest of the team’s reaction. “I’m not engaged, it was just something we did when we were kids.”

Riko blinked and looked a little disappointed. “Oh… then I better let Hyuga know that you’re not getting married.” She rolled her eyes. “Maybe that will calm him down.”

She noticed that Hyuga was a little tense since she had returned from changing her clothes. His arms were tense, and his shots kept hitting the rim and bouncing off.

The door to the gym burst open and the back of it slammed against the wall, startling Furihata and Izuki who were nearby. Momoi ran in, soaking wet and with tears in her eyes.

“Huh, what’s she-“ Izuki began.

“Tetsu-kun!” She cried out and ran to him.

Kuroko dropped his basketball and walked over to her. “Momoi? Are you alright?”

She threw her arms around him nearly knocking him over. “Dai-chan hates me now!” She buried her face into his chest.

“Um… I’m sure he doesn’t.” Kuroko said, putting his hands on her back. “What happened?”

Momoi tried to speak, but she was crying to hard to make any coherent words. Kagami walked over to them, hoping there was something she could do to help. But she didn’t know her or Aomine like Kuroko did and wasn’t sure if there was anything she could do or say.

“Kuroko is so lucky.” Izuki said. “She’s wearing a white shirt!”

Upon over hearing that… Riko scoffed walked over. “Why don’t we get you some dry clothes first?” She said gritting her teeth. “I have some in my locker-“

“No.” Kagami shook her head. “Yours will be too small. I have something she can wear.”

Momoi pulled way from Kuroko. Her bra was visible through her wet shirt. Kagami glared at the boys before they could even gawk at her, prompting Mitobe, Furihata, and Izuki to look away.

“But yours will be too big!” Hyuga said, more focused on Kagami than Momoi.

“Come on Momoi.” She ignored Hyuga and gestured for the pink haired girl to follow.  


Momoi’s eyes widened and her face got red. “I’m going to wear your clothes?”

Kagami nodded. “You’ll get sick if you stay in those.”

Momoi smiled and happily followed her to the girl’s locker room.

Kagami pulled out a blue hoodie that had a cartoonish tiger with a heart behind it on it, something Alex had bought for her a year ago, and a pair of sweatpants. Then she got Momoi a towel to dry off.

As Momoi unbuttoned her top, Kagami felt her face get red and she looked away. The girl had a very nice body and she understood why the boys would want to look at her.

Momoi could have worn the sweatshirt as a dress and the sweatpants were very baggy. She had to roll up the pant legs and tie the waist very tight.

“Thank you Kagami.” She said as she brushed out her hair.

“Don’t worry about it.” She said and then handed her a pony tail holder. “Pull your hair up, it will be a while before it dries.”

Momoi took it and tied up her hair. “Um… how does it look?”

“You look great!” Kagami smiled. And she did look cute in those over sized clothes.

Momoi looked away and blushed.

“So what happened between you and Aomine?”

Momoi sighed and her eyes welled up. “He hurt his knee during the Kaijo game… it was bad and he shouldn’t have played the next game… so I told the coach… and the coach took him out of the semifinals and the finals… and he got really mad when he found out I was the one that told him… but I know how Akashi is and if he had played…” Tears fell from her eyes.

Kagami put her hand on her shoulders unsure of what to say. But Momoi threw her arms around her and buried her face into her chest as she had done with Kuroko. Kagami put her arms around her figuring that was the thing to do.

“So he didn’t play in the finals?” Kagami asked when Momoi calmed down.

Momoi wiped her tears and shook her head. “Akashi and Murasakibara didn’t either… Akashi-kun told Murasakibara-kun not to….”  


Kagami tilted her head. “Why would he do that? And Murasakibara just listened to him?” Murasakibara just seemed like the kind of guy that would do whatever he want.

“Yes, he’s afraid of Akashi… and I guess Akashi wasn’t going to play if Dai-chan wasn’t going to…”

She had overheard that Rakuzan had won the inter high… but it didn’t click with her that would mean two of the miracle had lost a game… Aomine losing hadn’t even been on her mind. But even though Touou cane in second place, he still hadn’t lost a game and still had his same attitude.

“I’m sure things will be alright between you two.” Kagami only said if only to comfort her. She really didn’t know Aomine well enough to determine that. But Kagami didn’t think he would treat her as he had treated Kuroko in middle school, at least she hoped not.

When they reentered the gym, Momoi rain right to Kuroko and told him what she had just told Kagami. Kuroko listened, his expression gentle.

“Momoi… Aomine-kun won’t be mad at you for long.” He said with both hands on her shoulders. “And… to help, I can show you something that I’ve been working on for the Winter Cup… you can tell him about it.”

Momoi wiped her tears and threw her arms around him, once again, nearly knocking him over. “Thank you Tetsu!”

Kagami heard the sound of a small animal scurrying across the floor. She jumped out of the way as Nigou dashed past her heart pounding. Nigou stopped by Kuroko and Momoi and yipped. Momoi looked down at the dog and instantly brightened up.

“How cute!” She cried and picked up the dog and hugged it. “Tetsu-kun it looks just like you!”

“We did name it Nigou.” Koganei said patting the dog.

Kagami kept her distance. Nigou must have been sleeping, likely on Kagami’s bag, or else Momoi would have been aware of the puppy much earlier.

She held the dog all through practice and watched the others. Kagami was a little concerned, the girl did collect information on everyone. But Momoi seemed much more interested in the dog.

When it stopped raining, Kuroko and Momoi left. Kuroko offered to walk her home and show her the new move he was working on. Kagami knew of it, and she wasn’t sure if he should reveal it to her knowing that it could work against Touou. But resolving the fight between the two seemed to be far more important to him.

“What’s with those two?” Hyuga asked. “Is she his girlfriend or not?” He eyed Kagami as if she would have the answer.

“I really don’t know.” Kagami shrugged. “It’s obvious she likes him… and she is one of his close friends… but I don’t think she was ever his girlfriend.”

And she really didn’t know. They didn’t see Momoi that much and despite what she said about Kuroko, she seemed far more concerned with taking care of Aomine.

* * *

 

Aomine did not think much of Kuroko’s new technique when Momoi explained it to him. He simply said that what ever Kuroko was planning would not work against him. Momoi was disappointed, hoping that it could get him excited for their game. But Aomine still believed himself to be the best of the best.

But at least he wasn’t mad at her anymore.

They sat in her room. Momoi was doing some last-minute summer homework and Aomine was just hanging out because he was bored and was hoping to get dinner at her place.

She tried to get Aomine to study, but he refused, preferring to lay on the ground and stare at the ceiling, possibly to fall asleep. She didn’t mind, as long as he kept quiet while she worked.

In fact, he was so quiet that she almost forgot he was there, kind of like what could happen when with Kuroko. That was until….

“Hey Satsuki, did I leave my sweatshirt at your place?”

“Hmm?” She looked up from her math homework and nearly gasped. Aomine was holding the sweatshirt Kagami had let her wear after the rain storm.

Her face got red. “No that’s mine! Put it down!”

Aomine held it up. “This is way too big for you. But it looks like it would fit me.” He put the sweatshirt on over his tee shirt and then adjusted it. “See?”

She had to keep herself from laughing. He’d be furious if he had known that he was wearing a girl’s sweatshirt. And somehow the heart in the middle of it didn’t tip him off.

 “Dai-chan you would know if you had a sweatshirt like that! Now take it off!”

She didn’t want him wearing it. He might end up taking it home and then she may never see it again. That sweatshirt was going to stay with her… until she gave it back to Kagami.

He took it off. “Why do you have that?” He tossed it to her.

She ducked out of the way and it landed behind her. “Um… I sleep in it…” She lied. “They’re much more comfortable when they’re bigger.” But luckily, Aomine seemed to buy it.

She grabbed the sweatshirt, balled it up, and put it in her lap, and then placed her notebook on top and started to work on more problems. It still had a faint scent of lavender.

* * *

 

_Extra_

The cultural festival was in two weeks and the her and Kuroko’s class was planning for it. Kagami laid her head on her desk and closed her eyes as the class discussed what they would do. There were plenty of people throwing out ideas, she wasn’t needed.

 She was drifting in an out of sleep and only over heard some of the conversation.

“Something fun.” The class rep said. “It’s our first year, we need to make a good impression.”

“What about an RPG café?” A girl suggested.

“Ooh, we could choose someone to be the hero, and his one true love… and his friends, and the rest of the party…. Oh and we need a sexy villain!”

Nearly every girl in the class looked around the classroom at the boys, and then they all let out a collective groan.

“There are no boys in our class beautiful enough to be the villain!” One exclaimed. “And none are tall enough.”  


“Hey what’s that supposed to mean!”

“Um… we do have someone tall…” A girl said. “And they would look great as a boy…”

Kagami could feel a dozen or so eyes descend on her. It only annoyed her as interfered with her falling asleep.

“Kagami… will you be the villain for our RPG café? You’ll look gorgeous as a boy.”

“Huh…” Her eyes slightly opened. “Sure.” She said and closed them.

* * *

 

_Two weeks later_

Kagami wore all black. Her hair was pulled up into a high pony tail. One of the girls put dark make up on her eyes and she had a long wooden sword.

“Um… when did I agree to this?” She asked looking at herself in the mirror. Her look reminded her of the goth kids back in America.  

“When they were planning the festival.” Kuroko said. “You said that you would do it.”

She tried to remember that day…  but it was all a blur.

“You were falling asleep.”

“Oh.” She frowned.

The other girls in the class kept staring at her and then whispering to each other while giggling. This only prompted her to look into the mirror, fearing something was off that she didn’t notice.

“I think I’m in love with Kagami!” She overheard one of them.

“Yeah… too bad she can’t be a boy all the time!”

She sighed and turned her back to the girls. Then Kagami looked over Kuroko. He still had on his school uniform.

“Who are you supposed to be?”

Kuroko looked down. “No one gave me a role… they didn’t see me.”

Kagami grabbed a black cloak and threw it at him. “Put that on and be my minion. We’ll be the dark version of ourselves today.”

“Um…” Kuroko held up the cloak and seemed unsure of it all.

“Come on, I have to be the villain, so just be one with me. And if anyone asks, we’ll just say that you’re my deadly assassin that can walk through crowds unnoticed.”

Kuroko put on the cloak over his uniform. Kagami grabbed the makeup.

“I’m going to put eyeliner on you.”

Kuroko took a step back and then put up his hand up as if he were about to do an ignite pass.

“Come on, it won’t be bad, and you’ll look more like a villain.” She moved closer to him.

Kuroko sighed. He tensed up as the eyeliner pencil got near his eye and Kagami was afraid he was going to move and hit his eye on the pencil. But he stayed still through both. When she finished, she pulled the hood over his had and handed him a plastic knife.

“Not bad.” she said. And Kuroko really did look good in his costume.

“I wonder who will come.” Kuroko said sounding a little nervous and pulled the cloak down over his forehead.

* * *

 

_2 nd years_

The second years were the first to visit their café. They came early in the morning and must have gotten to go on break first.

“Hey you two really look amazing.” Koganei said. “I never would have thought of you two as villains.”

Hyuga nodded and then frowned. “But I have to wonder. Why are you getting more girls than all of us!” He pointed to Kagami. A group of girls had just finished crowding around her. And it had been happening all morning. They would arrive… and go straight to her, ignoring all the heros.

“They like bad boys.” She shrugged. She wouldn’t say it out loud, but she actually liked all the attention she was getting from them. It was like some sort of victory had been achieved.

“Kuroko.” Kiyoshi stood above him. “I’m sorry I didn’t see you there.”

“You shouldn’t have.” He said putting a coldness in his voice. “I’m a deadly assassin… I can walk anywhere and not be noticed.” He held up the knife.

“Kuroko… that’s terrifying.”

* * *

 

_The First Years_

“Hey Kagami you look great!” Fukada commented. “And so does Kuroko!”

“Yeah… you two strangely fit the part…” Kawahara said. “The dark shadow and light!”

“I’ve always liked the villains better than the heroes. Especially the really elegant ones.” Furihata said. “And you look great as a boy!” He blushed, realizing what he had just said. “But also as a girl! You Look great as everything!”

Fukada laughed. “Furihata, are red headed villains your type?”

“What no!”

* * *

 

_Kaijo_

Kise and Kasamatsu had arrived in the afternoon. Kasamatsu didn’t seem to want to be there and Kise must have begged him to go.

Kise smiled at them. “Kagamicchi, Kurokocchi… you two look good, can I join your side?”

Kagami wasn’t sure how to answer but she didn’t have to worry.

“You may.” Kuroko said. “But if you betray us… or you turn out to be a spy, I will hunt you down an end your life.” Kuroko held out his plastic knife and gave Kise a cold stare.

Kise shivered. “That’s scary!”

“You’re having way too much fun with this.”

 “I’ll admit…” Kasamatsu spoke. “It all looks good.” He eyed around the room and then wandered over to the other side to one of the girls playing the part of one of the heroes.

 When he was out of hearing range, Kise whispered to her. “Kagamicchi, you’re cute as a boy too!”

Kagami blushed and looked away.

* * *

 

_Riko_

Riko visited the classroom with Tsuchida’s girlfriend. They both walked right to Kuroko and Kagami.

“I heard that you are popular with the girls today.” Riko said looking her up and down. “And I have to admit, I do understand why.”

Kagami laughed. It hadn’t stopped all day. Girls from all classes would go to see her.

“Um Kuroko… are you wearing eye liner?” Riko’s face was inches from his to get a closer look.

Kuroko’s face got red and he looked away.

* * *

 

_Momoi_

 “Kagami-chan!” Momoi ran over to her and looked up at her and blushed. “And Tetsu-kun…” She got even redder when she saw Kuroko. “Um… I want to be the girl that you kidnap! And please… don’t let the hero rescue me!”

The girl playing the hero’s love interest was nearby. She glared at Momoi. “No, I’m the hero’s lover, I’m the one that gets kidnapped.” She sounded like she also didn’t want to be saved.

Momoi marched over and was almost in the girl’s face. “Why would they want to kidnap you! You’re only a B cup!”

“What! What’s that supposed to mean!”

“Momoi… we can kidnap more than one.” Kagami sighed.

* * *

 

_Shutoku_

Midorima and Takao walked into the classroom. Midorima adjusted his glasses.

“Takao, let’s make this quick, you wanted to stop here on the way home, and I didn’t want to wait outside.”

“Um Shin-chan, you’re the one that wanted to come here.” Takao sighed and then approached Kagami and Kuroko. “Hey you two look great!... but it’s so strange to see you two as villains.”

She ginned. Throughout the day, she had found that it had been fun to play the villain. Same with Kuroko, who Kagami wasn’t sure if he remembered that he wasn’t really an assassin.

Kagami thought of Takao’s hawkeye. “Kuroko, I think he’s your natural enemy.”

“Huh?” Takao tilted his head.

“Kuroko is my stealthy assassin. But your hawkeye will see him.” She sighed. “This is how I will lose my most trusted ally.”

Takao then grinned. “So I’d be the hero!”

“No, you will never get past me,” She held up the sword. “My skills are far superior to yours, and soon I will gain the power to destroy worlds.”

Takao laughed. “At least you two seem to be having fun.” He looked around the classroom. “But who is the hero?”

Kagami pointed to a guy much smaller than her standing among a crowd of people. “I can’t believe he is the chosen on…. Do they really think that guy could stop me?”

“Kagami,” Midorima finally spoke. “That’s what every villain says.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to sneak some subtle Akafuri in there because I love that ship so much...
> 
> So I can finally start the Winter Cup! I also realized that I fucked up the time line and will have to make a minor change in one of the earlier chapters. I thought Kagami went back to America on summer break but turns out it's much later in the year. Anyway, the changed is just simply, "I'm visiting America later this years," Instead of "In the summer." That's all.


	25. Shutoku vs Seirin Rematch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so this one is mostly written from the POV from other characters watching the game. It might read a bit dis jointed because it does jump around through the game. Writing the whole thing out would be a bit redundant anyway because nothing much would change from canon.

Kagami forced herself to finish her breakfast. It was rarity that she wasn’t hungry in the  morning. But they were in the middle of the Winter Cup preliminaries. Already they had beat two teams, both the ones that they had lost to in the Inter High finals.

But today was a big game. They would be playing Shutoku. They had already won a game against them, but only with her and Kuroko working together. Midorima was still a tough opponent and they also had Takao. And Shutoku as a whole had gotten stronger as they had seen at the summer training camp.

Kuroko entered the apartment, bringing Nigou back inside. Somehow, over the past few months, the dog ended up living with her. Kuroko had been struggling to sneak her in and out of his house and, feeling bad for him, Kagami offered to let him keep the dog at her apartment under one condition. Kuroko take care of her. That included feeding, taking her out in the morning, and taking her for walks.

And he did. She had given him a key and he would arrive early in the morning, sometimes before she was even awake. There were also times that he would just stay the night in the guest room to make it easier.

As time when on, she got used to the dog’s presence. Nigou seemed to understand that she was terrified of dogs and kept her distance or would approach slowly. Kagami wouldn’t admit it to the others but having the dog did make the apartment less lonely. One day she even stopped at the pet store on the way home from school and bout a dog bed and some toys.

Kagami took the last bite of her breakfast and then checked the time.

“Are you ready?” She asked Kuroko.

He nodded.

* * *

 

Midorima sat in the locker room, shutting out the rest of his team. They had already lost to Seirin once, and if they lost today… if would be much more difficult for Shutoku to qualify for the Winter Cup.

He held his lucky item, a stuffed rabbit. Today Cancer was in fourth… and Leo was in second. Kagami would have a better game than him.

“Hey Shin-chan, are you alright?” Takao sat next to him.

“He’s nervous about playing his girlfriend today.” Otsubo laughed. “But seriously Midorima, we better not lose because you’re in love.”

He squeezed the rabbit tighter and glared at Otsubo. “That won’t happen, on the court, she’s my opponent.”

Despite his feelings, he wouldn’t let Kagami distract him. He had enough respect for her as a basketball player not to do that. At worse, because she would likely be marking him, he worried about bumping in to her like he had at the ridiculous volleyball game.

“Good to hear.” Otsubo replied.

Although, Otsubo was right about one thing. He was nervous, not about Kagami, but of losing. His team was counting on him to get them to the Winter cup. In middle school, victory was always guaranteed. But now, Shutoku had lost to Seirin. And if they couldn’t qualify for the Winter Cup... then what was the point of recruiting him? Already they didn’t play in the Inter High.

* * *

 

Momoi rushed into the stadium, ignoring all the comments from those she passed. She could hear that the game had already started and she cursed under her breath. Too much time was wasted trying to get Aomine to attend the game with her. And now she was here alone and already missed the first few minutes.

She ran to the guard rail on the upper level and quickly located Kagami, which was easy considering that she was the only girl. Then she found Kuroko and smiled. He passed to Kagami and Kagami scored two points.

 And then she found Midorima… Watching him he seemed different. The way he played, the way  he held himself… it was unusual for him… and she couldn’t figure out what was going on.

“Momocchi?”

She turned at the sound of the familiar voice. “Ki-chan? You came to watch the game?”

He nodded and then sighed. “I asked my senpai’s to come watch… but they all rejected me.”

“Me too.” Momoi said, although she was only referring to Aomine. She would never ask Imayoshi to come and watch and as for the others… she feared that they would think she was asking them on a date.

“Um… do you want to watch together?” She asked although a little hesitant.

Kise thought for a moment. “Normally I wouldn’t with someone who beat me in a game… but I’ll call a truce for today.”

Momoi focused on Kagami because Kuroko was too hard to follow. She was double teaming Midorima with Kiyoshi. She hadn’t seen Seirin’s center in a game… but she knew that he had been out the first half of the season due to an injury.

The ball was not passed to Midorima, and he seemed to be getting frustrated. And then Seirin stole the ball. It was passed to Kuroko and then to Kagami and she dunked the ball and landed right between two Shutoku players.

“Kagami-chan is amazing.” Momoi said feeling all warm as she watched her run back to defense.

“Yeah she is.” Kise responded.

She smiled. “I’ve never met a girl like her. She’s so tall, and strong and sweet, one time she gave me a hug, and her arms!” She giggled thinking about how she could feel Kagami’s abs under her clothes as they hugged and how strong Kagami’s embrace was.

“Um Momocchi…” Kise looked at her. “You’re not in love with her are you?”

Momoi’s face got red. “What of course not!” She wanted to smack herself for going on like that.

“Are you sure?” Kise grinned at her. “I think everyone at Teiko is falling in love with her.”

“Huh?” She raised her eyebrow. She had always wondered if Kise was attracted to girls, despite how popular he was with them. She figured he was attracted to men by the way he looked at Kuroko and Aomine. But the look in his eyes as he talked about Kagami told her otherwise.

“Even Midorima?”

Kise laughed. “Especially Midorimacchi… just watch how he is around her. And I think Aominecchi too… and...” He stopped after that.

It was hard to imagine Midroima being attracted to a girl like her. She always imagined him with a quiet studious girl that also wore glasses… and listened to the daily horoscope. Kagami was the opposite of that. Through a little digging, Momoi knew how poorly she did in school.

As for Aomine…

She sighed… Aomine made it clear that he wanted sex, and only sex with her. It annoyed her anytime he’d say that she wasn’t his type but that he’d fuck her.

“Hey, they took Kurokocchi out of the game!” Kise commented

Kuroko walked back to the bench, gave Mitobe a high five, and then sat down sulking.

“It makes sense, if his misdirection doesn’t work they have to.” She would have suggested the same thing if Kuroko were on Touou’s team and she knew of Takao’s hawkeye. Shutoku was smart to have him be the one to mark Kuroko.

“Maybe… but I like watching him play. But I guess we always took him out of the game halfway through.” Kise said.

“But I am surprised.” He continued. “ I never expected Midorima to pass… he’s only scored a few points this game… but I guess he has to because Kagami can jump high enough to block.”

Momoi nodded. It was the first time she had seen Midorima play as if he were part of a team. Maybe that was the change she had noticed in him earlier.

The first half ended with Shutoku two points ahead.

* * *

 

She sat in the locker room drinking her water. They were ahead, but who knew for how long. They were going to struggle the third quarter without Kuroko in the game. He’d come back in during the fourth.

“Are you going to do the vanishing drive?” Kagami asked having expected him to do it in the first quarter.

He nodded. “It should help us pull a head at the end of the game… I’m just worried that it won’t work against Takao.”

That was also her concern. If it didn’t work against Takao, it would be all but useless.

* * *

 

Third quarter started. Hanamiya sat with his team, watching and studying everyone from Seirin. They had already played and lost to Shutoku… but only because the upper classmen weren’t in that game. They had sat out to watch Seirin play their other games.

Hanamiya focused on Kiyoshi. His knee seemed to be better… but they could change that. It was already weak and one little misstep and he could be out for the rest of the season again.

Then he eyed Kagami and frowned as she prevented Midorima from scoring another three-pointer forcing him to pass. A girl shouldn’t be the one stopping any of the generation of miracles. The fact that she was on the boy’s team and that she could play better than most annoyed him.

 At the very least she could have a nice body to give him something to look at and “accidently” cop a feel. But she was tall, flat chested, and had some well-toned muscles. She might as well have been one of the boys.

He looked around at his team and grinned. They would show her what happens when the girls try to play with the boys.

* * *

 

Kagami breathed heavily and sweat poured down her face. Shutoku was now winning and the point gap was increasing. Midorima and Takao were coordinating together and that was making the game much more difficult. If she was marking Midorima, he’d just pass to Takao. And when Shutoku was back on offence, there were times that Takao could pass to Midorima quick enough that he could make the shot before she or Kiyoshi got to him.

The only thing that was keeping the point gap from increasing too far was that Midorima couldn’t shoot as many baskets with her and Kiyoshi double teaming him. And he would never take a shot that he wasn’t certain he would make.

She ran back to offence and signaled for Izuki to pass to her. She caught the ball and jumped and shot from behind the three-point line. But it hit the rim and bounced off. Kiyoshi managed to get the rebound and dunk.

She knew Midorima was behind her, but she didn’t want to look at him, too embarrassed that she missed that shot.

The ref called for a member change and Kuroko was back in the game.

* * *

 

“Hey Kurokocchi is back in!” Kise said loud enough that it startled Momoi. He was smiling as Kuroko walked back onto the court.

She eyed Kise. “Okay which one do you have feelings for? Kagami or Tetsu?” She asked. As they watched, at times it sounded like he wanted both of them, as if they were some kind of package deal.

He grinned. “I could ask the same of you.”

She blushed. “Tetsu of course!”

“Mmmhmm.”

Momoi groaned. She focused back on the game. Kuroko had the ball and Midorima went to guard him. She leaned forward, expecting him to use the drive he had shown her back in the summer and wondered if it would work against him. Kagami was right behind him so he had to option to pass to her.

And then Kuroko ran by Midorima. Midorima stood as if Kuroko were still in front of him and about a second later, he noticed that Kuroko was gone.

She cheered loudly, happy that the drive had worked.

Kuroko passed the ball to Kagami and she slammed the ball into the net. Then the two fist bumped.

“What happened?” Kise blinked his eyes still on the court. “Why did Midorimacchi just stand there!”

“It’s Tetsu’s new drive.” Momoi said. “And it worked against Midorima-kun.”

“But… how!”

She shrugged not knowing how it worked. “But maybe now Seirin can win.” She was conflicted watching the game. While she wanted Kagami and Kuroko to win… she didn’t want Midorima to lose. Momoi wanted all the generation of miracles to compete in the Winter Cup.

Kuroko did his drive again, this time against Takao. And not even his hawkeye could see through it. Takao ran after him, angry, but Kuroko had already passed to Kagami.

“Kurokocchi is amazing, isn’t he?” Kise smiled. “And Kagamicchi.”

She looked at Kise. Back in middle school, she had considered him her rival when it came to Kuroko. And now he was one for Kagami too. Maybe he could have one she could have the other… but Midorima… There weren’t enough of them to go around between the three of them.

Momoi saw a group of girls dressed in orange cheering when Kagami scored a three pointer. Squinting and taking a closer look, their jackets had Shutoku written on them.

“Shutoku’s girls’ team is here?”

“Yeah.” Kise nodded. “But there here for Kagamicchi.” He said and sighed. “When Kaijo’s team plays Seirin again, our girls’ team will be cheering for her and not us.”

Momoi scanned the stadium and found a group of girls in dark jackets. Touou’s girls team. She barely knew them. Only the one from Kagami’s middle school that she spoke to briefly about her. But Touou also seemed to be cheering for her.

“She’s got a fanclub.” Momoi said with a hint of jealousy. Those other girls could play basketball and were probably much more her type.

“Yeah other girls’ teams love her.”

* * *

 

She had the ball. Midorima came to mark her. She jumped, higher than him and shot a three pointer. This time it went in the basket. Then she turned and smiled at him, almost forgetting that they were in a game, and almost expecting him to congratulate her.

Midorima quickly looked away.

“Hey were in a game, this is no time to take pride in something you taught her to do!” Takao said running by him.

“What! You taught her something!” Otsubo yelled running by. “She’s a tough enough opponent as it is!”

“It was just something I suggested to her!” Midorima ran after him.

Kagami laughed and went back to defense.

Kuroko’s vanishing drive had worked better than expected. She was especially surprised when it had worked against Takao. And with her three pointer, Seirin was only one point behind. There was less than thirty seconds in the game, they still had a chance to win.

Otsubo shot the ball, but Kiyoshi blocked and stole it. He threw it to Izuki and Seirin was back on offense. Izuki was about to pass to her but Midorima was on her. Instead he passed to Kiyoshi. Midorima ran from her in a desperate attempt to block, and he fouled him, on purpose. But it was all he could do to stop him from scoring in those last few seconds.

Now all Kiyoshi had to do was make both baskets and Seirin would win.

Everyone on the court stood tense. She was next to Midorima, and knew that they would be the ones fighting for that rebound.

Sweat was pouring down Kiyoshi’s face as she shot the first ball. It went in. The score was now tied. For his second shot, he bounced the ball, his arms shaking. Then he took a deep breath and threw the second shot. It hit the back board and bounced off.

“Rebound!” Riko yelled.

Kagami jumped and reached for the ball. She and Midorima grabbed it at the same time. Their hands were almost touching, and they were so close… But Midorima must really have not wanted to lose that game because it did not bother him in the slightest.

 They fought for it and then the buzzer went off. The game was over.

* * *

 

“A tie?” Momoi blinked looking at the score. Because it was only the preliminaries they didn’t have to go into overtime.

The teams lined up and then went back to their locker rooms.

“Seirin and Shutoku only have to win their next game and they are guaranteed a spot in the Winter Cup.” Kise said.

She nodded. But she knew that Seirin would be playing Kirisaki Daichi. She hadn’t done much research on them yet, but she knew that they had a bad reputation and one of the uncrowned kings was on their team.

They waited until the stadium was nearly empty before they left. Momoi had a feeling that they were both wanting to catch up to Kuroko and Kagami.

When they finally walked out, they looked around for Seirin, but couldn’t find their team. They did however see Midorima at one of the vending machines. Momoi ran over and pushed the button for the one that she knew he would choose.

“That was a good game Midorima-kun.” She smiled. She hadn’t seen him in months. But he wasn’t someone she would hang around if the others weren’t there. Midorima was always studying or doing things for the basketball club.

He looked at her, surprised that she was there. And then he eyed Kise. “You two came to watch?”

Kise nodded. “Yeah, Kurokocchi and Kagami were playing…” Kise said. “Oh and you two.”

Midorima frowned, knowing that the last part was tacked on. He started to walk away. Momoi and Kise followed him.

He turned and glared at them. “I’m going home, I have another game tomorrow.”

“Come on, you don’t have to be so cold.” Kise said still following.  “And you haven’t seen Momocchi since middle school.”

 “I need to rest.” Midorima adjusted his glasses.

  “Hey Shin-chan! What’s taking so long?” Takao said walking over. Then he noticed Kise and Momoi. “Oh, and you’re talking to your friend and that beautiful girl.” Takao grinned at her.

Momoi smiled and her face got red. It never failed to get her flustered whenever someone complimented her.

“I was on my way Takao.” He started to walk again.

Momoi sighed, she wanted to talk more to Midorima, really about Kagami, to see if he really did have feelings for her. But knowing him, he’d avoid the topic.

“Hey what’s this?” Kise picked up a wallet off the ground. Momoi looked over as he opened it up. She nearly gasped when she saw the student ID.

 “It’s Kagamicchi’s!”

Midorima stopped and turned towards them.

“We need to get this back at her!” Momoi said looking at the student ID. It was taken before Kagami was ready for the photo and the face she was making was kind of cute. “I can find her address.”

Midorima pulled out his cell phone. “There’s no need, I’ll call her.”

“Um Midorimacchi… why do you have her number?”

He scrolled through his contacts. “She gave it to me when we met.”

“What!” Momoi and Kise exclaimed at the same time.

 “Midorima-kun give me that number!” Momoi reached for his phone. She couldn’t believe that of everyone, he was the one that go her contact information.

“And me!” Kise followed.

“No!” Midorima said harshly. “If you want it, go ask her!” He dialed her number and put the phone to his ear.

Kise raised an eyebrow at him. “I can’t believe you’re calling a girl.”

Midorima froze at that statement. Kagami answered and they could barely here her through the phone.  Midorima didn’t respond. He just stood there and stared.

Takao sighed. “Give me that.” He took the phone and put it up to his ear.

“Hey Kagami! It’s Takao…. Remember when you wrote your number on Shin-chan’s hand? Yeah that’s how I got it….. Anyway, we found your wallet… how can we get it back to you? Okay we’ll see you soon.”

He hung up. “She’s at the nearby Magi Burger.” He said and then gestured for everyone to follow.

* * *

 

Kagami reached into her pockets and sure enough, her wallet was missing. If Takao had called two minutes later, she would have already ordered her food and would have had no way to pay. Neither would Kuroko as she was buying his meal.

Nigou was in Kuroko’s arms looking up at her wanting to be pet.

“Are you sure you’re allowed to have the dog in here?” She asked.

“No one complained.” Kuroko shrugged.

She sighed and scratched behind Nigou’s ears, giving the dog a warning glare.

They didn’t have to wait long for Takao and Midorima. They arrived within ten minutes of calling. Kise and Momoi followed them inside.

“Hi Kurokocchi, Kagamicchi!” Kise waved. And then he saw the puppy. He and Momoi ran over to pet Nigou. “It’s so cute” He said.

“You two didn’t need to come with us.” Midorima frowned.

“Um… you didn’t either Shin-chan, Kise has her wallet.”

Kise stopped petting Nigou and took the wallet out of his pocket, as if he remembered that he was the one carrying it. “Here you go!” He handed it to her.

“Thank you.” She took it from him. “And… would you guys like to eat with us?” She particularly focused on Midorima. “I do owe you.” She said to him.

Midorima’s face got red. “You don’t-“

“Come on Shin-chan.” Takao grabbed his harm. “Just say yes so that she doesn’t feel in debt to you.”

“And don’t worry, my dad sends me enough money every month.” She said. Actually, he sent way too much. Not that she was complaining.

“Kagami-chan you’re taking us all out to dinner!” Momoi’s said starry-eyed. Kagami thought she was going to throw her arms around her.

“Momocchi… you didn’t have to word it that way.” Kise laughed.

Kagami started pulling out money. She had way more than enough to pay for everyone.

Everyone ordered, and as promised Kagami paid. Momoi found a way to sit between her and Kuroko and Kise sat on the other side of Kuroko petting Nigou.

Midorima was across from her looking uncomfortable, and Takao seemed to be taking great amusement in it.

“So… that was a good game?” She said between bites. Then she realized that was exactly what she said when they had dinner together at that pizza place last time they played.

Takao nodded. “Yeah… I can’t believe we tied… and Kuroko… that drive you did was annoying! I can’t believe I couldn’t see you!”

A small smiled came on Kuroko’s face as he drank his vanilla shake. Kagami also grinned. That one tactic changed the flow of the game and maybe it would be useful against Touou… or the other teams the generation of miracles played for.

“Kagami.” Midorima spoke.

She turned her attention to him.

“You’re going to play Kirisaki Daichi tomorrow.” He said, very serious. “You need to be careful.”

She tilted her head, confused.

“Every school that has play them has had several players injured during the game… and they’re responsible for your senpai’s injury.”

“Kiyoshi?”

Riko and the other second years hadn’t told her about this. They hadn’t said much about his injury, just that It had happened during a game. But then she remembered a guy in a green uniform, greeting Kiyoshi as they walked to the locker room before the start of the game… and Kiyoshi’s anger that he quickly covered with friendliness as he said hello to him.

“And… are you satisfied with the results today?” He asked her.

She smiled and shook her head. “Not at all… next time we will win.”

“We’ll see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so the next chapter is going to be a hard one emotionally to write. It's the Kirisaki Daichi game.
> 
> And I could totally OT3 Kuroko, Momoi, and Kagami or Kuroko, Kise, and Kagami.


	26. Kirisaki Daichi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one was emotionally hard to write. I wasn't comfortable writing some of it and there might be some triggering material in here. But it's Kirisaki Daichi. My least favorite team. God I hate these guys and Hanamiya.  
> But here you go.

Momoi sat next to Aomine, waiting for the game between Kirisaki Daichi and Seirin to begin. Aomine had his arms folded and a sour look on his face. He didn’t want to be there, but his team had set a trap to make sure that he would attend. It was one that only a simple-minded person could fall for. Placing a magazine of Mai-chan on the ground (only Imayoshi had gotten the wrong person) and then capturing him in a blanket and dragging him off. Only Aomine would fall for that.

She held her notebook tight, nervous for the game. Last night, she had used her evening to gather what information she could about Kirisaki Daichi, most of it coming from Imayoshi. She didn’t like any of it. Once she had several pages full, she got on her phone and texted most of it to Kagami. The previous after noon at Magi Burger, Kagami had given her number to her and Kise after they had asked. And after what she had heard of Hanamiya, Momoi was happy that now had it.

She opened her notebook and flipped to Hanamiya’s page. The first thing written under his name was “Hates Women.” And then an entire paragraph about his previous girlfriends, how he had acted after they broke up with him… and how they are still scared of him.

Then there was what he had done to Kiyoshi last year. Giving him an injury that had him out the rest of the season and through the inter high this year. For all she knew they would do it again, either to him, or someone else.

She sighed. The game couldn’t be over soon enough.

* * *

 

As she warmed up, Kagami would periodically look over at Kirisaki Daichi. Early that morning, before they left school, the second years told the first years what had had happened to Kiyoshi last year, and how they had done it in such a way that it had looked like an accident.

The story enraged her and now she wanted nothing more than to win. While that was something she wanted for every game that she played and they would need to win to qualify for the Winter Cup… she had another more important reason.

Kagami watched Kiyoshi dunk, and then land, his injured leg shook. Kiyoshi’s knee had been bothering him all week.

All the information Momoi had given her was forwarded to Riko. Hopefully it was enough to help them win. She and Riko were especially concerned about the captain. Kagami looked over at him. The guy was shorter than her and leaner. She could easily take him if it came to that.

One of their balls rolled across half court. Kiyoshi went to retrieve it. He was met by Hanamiya who handed him the ball.

“You look well.” Hanamiya grinned.

Kiyoshi took the basketball from his hands. “Yes, it’s all thank to you.”

Kagami watched, regretting how long she had her eyes on Hanamiya because he noticed her and gave her a twisted grin. She scoffed and went back to warming up.

When warm ups ended, the team went to their locker room. Kagami sat on the bench with her chin resting in her hands trying to clear her mind of everything.

The first years gathered around Kiyoshi and taped his knee, explaining that they wanted to do something to help.

Kuroko sat next to her. “Um… I read Momoi’s notes… will you be okay?”

“Don’t worry about me… you’re the smaller one, so don’t you get hurt.” She really was more worried about Kuroko than herself. If one noticed him for a second and pulled one of their tricks, he’d go down fast and probably be out of the rest of the game.

“But…”

“I said not to worry.” She folded her arms.

Riko over heard them. She walked over.

“You know, I am worried about you playing in this game.” She spoke. “But we can’t win without you, Kuroko, and Kiyoshi…”

Kagami nodded. “Yeah, and I’d hate if they were the reason that we couldn’t play in the Winter Cup. So don’t take me out of the game.”

Soon they were back on the court ready to start the game. They got into position for the tip off. Everyone on Kirisaki Daichi had their eyes on Kiyoshi, like a pack of predators that found their prey. Hanamiya glanced over and smiled. But Kiyoshi only smiled back at them.

The ref tossed the ball into the air. Kiyoshi jumped up, got to the ball first and hit it right to Kuroko. Kuroko held the ball and was met by one of the taller players. He ran past him, using his vanishing drive and passed to Kiyoshi, who stood under the net and dunked the ball. Seirin had the first points in the game.

She ran to defense, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hyuga mark Hanamiya, but another player screened him… hard. He held his upper arm after they collided. There was no foul called.

Confused, Kagami went to guard a forward, a guy chewing gum. He caught the ball, and whipped around, his elbow catching her in the collar bone. Pain shot through and she grabbed the spot that hurt.

“Foul!” the ref called out.

Bubblegum guy turned and frowned at her, and then he looked at Hanamiya.

“Taiga are you alright?”

She blinked, having not noticed that Kuroko was nearby.

“Yeah…” She said still holding the spot where he had hit. It would likely bruise later. She overheard Hanamiya and bubblegum guy talking and looking at her, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying.

 Then she walked over to the free throw line. At least she could get her team two points.

* * *

 

Momoi watched Kagami make both her free throws. Her chin rested in her hands in such a way that she could cover her eyes if needed. They weren’t even into the first minute and the game was unbearable to watch. And Hara, she had found out his name, looked like he had hit her hard.

She watched as more players on Seirin were injured by their rough play, the ref not noticing. Most of what they did was done in such a way that it looked like an accident. Turning around when they knew another player from Seirin was right there, tripping and falling into someone with their elbows out… she hated it.

“Why are they doing this!” Momoi said as she watched Izuki get his foot stepped on.

“Hanamiya has always been like this. None of this surprises me.” Imayoshi said keeping his eyes on the game.

One dunked the ball and fell sticking his arm out intending to hit Hyuga in the face. But Kiyoshi ran in front of him and put up his arm to block him.

And, while Kagami was out of the ref’s site, one ran into the back of her nearly knocking her down.

“Even Kagami.” Momoi said quietly. “I can’t believe they’re hurting a girl!” She looked over at Aomine, who, while doing his best to keep his expression neutral, did look a little uncomfortable with what he was watching.

“Didn’t I tell you that he doesn’t like women?” Imayoshi said. “Especially girls like her.”

She looked around. Others not from her team looked horrified as they watched the game. One kept calling out fouls anytime someone from Seirin was hit.

* * *

 

Kagami had the ball and was about to shoot. But a guy with eyes that looked dead jammed his elbows into her ribs forcing her to drop the ball. She let out a yelp and then grabbed her side. Then she glared at him and clenched her other fist, pulled her arm back and moved towards him. The guy just watched blankly as if he wanted her to punch him.

Kuroko grabbed her arm. “Taiga don’t!” He whispered loudly. “You’ll be taken out of the game!”

She relaxed her arm and gritted her teeth. Kuroko was right. But she still wanted to punch that guy.

“Foul!” The ref called. “Defense pushing!”

It was the second time she was going to throw a free throw in the first quarter. Kirisaki Daichi should have racked up a tone of fouls with the way they played, but she was the only one that had shot any free throws so far in the game.

The creepy dead eyes guy smiled at her. “This game isn’t fair with you playing. The ref is going much easier on you.”

She frowned. As she went to shoot, his words echoed in her head and both her arms and now her ribs hurt. She made both baskets. But only barely. One circled around the rim and she breathed a sigh of relief when it fell into the basket. The other bounced off the back board onto the rim and into the basket. Usually her free throws were much better.

The rough play continued the rest of the first quarter. Kirisaki Daichi seemed to put focus on Kiyoshi. His arms and legs were covered in red marks. She could hear people in the stands yelling at the ref to call fouls, and to disqualify Kirisaki Daichi. But he ignored them.

* * *

 

“Ice.” Hyuga said after the first quarter had ended. He held his arm as he sat on the bench.

Everyone except for Kuroko had injuries. His low presence had allowed him to evade the others and he was probably the reason why they were ahead in points. He had given both Kagami and Kiyoshi passes when they were running to the net allowing them to score before anyone from Kirisaki Daichi could attempt to block them. But they were becoming wise to the trick. Before first quarter ended, one managed it knock Kiyoshi in his other knee messing up his shot.

Riko paced back and forth along the bench. Her face was red with anger and Kagami thought she might walk right over to Kirisaki Daichi’s bench.

“Riko…” Kiyoshi spoke. “Put me on the inside and have everyone else stick to the outside.”

Riko stopped and stood in front of him. “Kiyoshi… three of their guys keep to the inside, I can’t do that.”

Kiyoshi shook his head. “If they focus on me, then the others will be safe. I don’t like seeing the others get hurt.”

“No.” Kagami said. “The ref is calling the fouls on me… put me in the middle. We’ll foul them out if that what it takes to win this game.”

“What!” Riko turned to her. “Kagami I am not doing that!”

“We need to win this to get to the Winter Cup.” She said. “Don’t worry I can take them. And I’ll get us points in the process when I shoot those free throws.” She didn’t like the idea, but anything to win at this point.

“No we’re not doing that.” Kiyoshi said. “You really don’t know how vicious they can be.”

“But they’re not really hitting me that hard.” She lied. Kagami could feel Kuroko’s eyes on her. “It’s worth a try.”

Riko sighed. “Okay but if it gets too rough out there we going back to our usual strategy.

* * *

 

Hanamiya led his team back out onto the court for the second quarter. They hadn’t even gotten started and already  he could see Seirin hesitating as the quarter started. He watched Kagami run right to the middle when his team was on offense while the rest of Seirin stayed outside.

He wanted to laugh knowing exactly what they were doing. Now she was in the perfect spot for them. A couple hits and she’d run off the court crying. And he wanted to see it. Her tears roll down her face and her sitting on the bench when she realized that she didn’t belong on that team.

And oh did he hate her. Every time she dunked, shot a three, got a rebound or blocked another guy from shooting… she shouldn’t be able to do that. Girls were supposed to be smaller, weaker, and stay at home and cook or clean. Not on the court… no this game was for men. If she wanted to play there was always the girls team.

He had the ball and he ran towards her. Three on his team surrounded her, triple teaming.

“I bet you like being in here you little slut.” One laughed and then hit her in the stomach, another hit her on her upper thigh and the third stomped her foot. She let out a cry as he ran past.

“Don’t think we’ll go easy on you just because you’re a girl!” One said just as he shot the ball.

“Hey ref! Didn’t you see that!” Someone from the stands yelled.

“Get them out of the game that was on purpose!”

But the ref hadn’t seen. His fourth player strategically ran past Kagami just as the guys started hitting her, blocking the view from the ref.

As he ran back to defense, he watched Kagami stumble as she walked, and he grinned. Just a little more and she’d be done. He eyed the rest of Seirin. They must be a very weak team if they were sending a girl to take all their hits. Then he focused on Kiyoshi particularly on his knee. Just one good hit and he’d be out of the game.

* * *

 

Kise sat tense in his seat as he watched Kagami take a hit to her shin. The ref called a foul and she went to throw her free throws.

“What is with this team! Why is the ref letting this happen!” He shouted.

Kasamatsu shook his head and closed his eyes. “This was the team that injured Kiyoshi last year… everyone knew it was on purpose. And you’ll notice that they use one guy to block the refs view anytime they hit.”

“But why is Seirin sending Kagamicchi in to the middle of them?”  

“It’s all strategic. The ref did call fouls on her last quarter… it’s probably because she is a girl… and I guess they’re using that to their advantage.”

“Buy why would they do that?” He said angry. He could understand if it were one of the guy, but they were sending in a girl. He had never seen a girl get beat up on, and there was nothing he could do about it up in the stands.

He couldn’t fight, and he’d probably get beat up if he tried, but he wanted to run down onto that court and punch all five of those guys. He had seen Kagami attempt to do just that, but Kuroko stopped her.

“I don’t like it either.” Kasamatsu said quietly. “But this is what Seirin wants to do… and let’s just hope she doesn’t get injured like Kiyoshi was last year.”

* * *

 

Her whole body hurt. She cringed with every step she took. Catching a pass sent pain shooting through her torso. But she pushed through it.

She ran to mark the small forward. He caught a pass, turned to face her and as he did, swung the ball up hitting her under her chin. Her head flew back and before she could recover he had already shot the ball and scored two points.

“Come on ref, they’re hurting a girl!” Someone yelled. “Call a foul!”

The small forward looked at her and tilted his head. “You’re doing a good job turning everyone here against us.” He ran by and stepped on her foot that had been stomped on earlier. She let out a cry and then ran back to offense.

Kagami stayed to the outside. Izuki passed her the ball and she went to shoot a three. But the small forward ran up and hit her right in her upper thigh where she was hit earlier. Her three-pointer missed.

“Foul!” The ref called out.

She grabbed where she was hit.

Hanamiya walked over and smirked. “We know exactly what you are doing… isn’t it a little unfair to use the fact that you’re a girl to get sympathy from the ref?”

“Hey, stay away from her!” Hyuga walked over clenching his fist. Kagami thought he was going to punch him.

“We’re in a game.” Hanamiya laughed. “You’re really telling someone on the other team to stay away from a player? That doesn’t sound fair… why does Seirin keep demanding special treatment?” He walked away.

“What you’re doing isn’t fair!” Hyuga ran after him.

“Fair? She just keeps getting in our way, we’re doing nothing wrong.”

Kuroko made his way over to her.

“Taiga… please stop.” He said, with concern on his face. “Stay out of the middle.”

“No!” She yelled at him and he took a step back. “I can handle it!” She had already come this far and she wasn’t going to let the team lose because she had some injuries. Not again. She’d show her team… no everyone that she could play with the boys, even the most aggressive.

“But…”

She ignored him and marched over to the free throw line. She shot the first one, ignoring the pain in her shoulder and ribs. The ball went in. Same with the second. The crowd in the stands was cheering loudly as she ran back to defense. She wanted gloat to Kirisaki Daichi, how they were giving her free points. But she didn’t dare.

She ran to the middle, hesitating, knowing what was waiting for her. And then she noticed that Kuroko had followed.

“Tetsuya… get out of here!” She ordered. “You’re going to get hurt.” Kuroko would get crushed, she knew it. She could withstand most of their rough play, Kuroko… he could be out of the game with one hit.

“Only if you do.” He said.

“No! someone needs to stay in the middle!”

“We all should.” Kuroko said glaring at her.

Kirisaki Daichi was already descending on them.  Kuroko had his eyes on Hanamiya.

She moved away from Kuroko, hoping that the three wouldn’t notice him. And they didn’t, they all came for her. She endured their attacks and felt her other foot get stepped on. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Hanamiya watching and grinning. And then… Kuroko stole the ball from him.

He hit it right to Izuki. Hanamiya watched, dumbfounded and then got an icy look on his face as he ran back to defense.

Izuki passed to Kiyoshi and Kiyoshi scored two points.

She cheered and then gave Kuroko a fist bump. “Nice one!” she said. “But… stay out of the middle this time!”

“No.” He said and followed her back to the center.

She groaned. It was unlikely that he could steal from Hanamiya again. The guy, while sadistic, was also very smart. He’d expect Kuroko to steal again.

She only had two on her this time. The small forward rushed to the net with the ball. She pushed through the two guarding her and went to block. But before she jumped, their power forward stepped on her foot preventing her from leaving the ground.

The player dunked and then started to fall down… close to her and reaching for her. She thought he was going for her face, but he reached lower…

Kuroko jumped between them. The small forward’s hand connected with his face, hard. He fell back into Kagami.

“Tetsuya!” She caught him stopping him from losing balance.  Blood trickled out of his nose.

The whistle blew. “Seirin time out!”

The small forward looked at Kuroko. “You’re no fun.” He smirked.

That did it. She was done with them. She made a fist and started to run at him, but Kuroko’s knees buckled and he started to fall.

Kagami caught him.

“Don’t… we need you to win!”

She groaned and did her best to help him walk to the bench, ignoring her own pain. She helped him sit and then stood in front of him. Riko handed him a tissue.

“Tetsuya what the hell was that!”

“I knew what he was going to do.” Kuroko said.

She stomped her foot into the ground. That team pissed her off. And through it all the ref somehow managed to be oblivious to what they were doing. And now Kuroko was injured.

Riko looked over Kuroko. “Kuroko… you’re out the rest of this quarter and the next. And Kagami… I’m going to keep you on the bench till after half time.… you need to rest.”

“But…”

“There’s only two minutes left.” Riko said. “I’ll have you back in after half time.”

“And…” Kiyoshi walked up to her. “You’re no longer in the middle. I’m sorry but I can’t stand to watch them hurt you anymore.” He forced a smile. “I’m the center, that’s my job.”

“No I can handle it-“

Riko stepped in front of her, her face red. “Kagami just what are you trying to prove!” Her eyes started to well up with tears.

She looked at the ground. The aftermath of Touou played through her head.

_It’s to be expected, she is a girl after all. They just can’t handle injuries like the boys can._

“You’re out of the middle… now sit on the bench!” Riko ordered.

She groaned and sat down next to Kuroko.

“Don’t feel bad Kagami.” Kiyoshi said. “We know you’re a tough girl. But we need you for the Winter Cup.”

* * *

 

Aomine about jumped up when Kuroko had been hit in the face. It was too much eve for him and if Kagami hadn’t been right behind him, he would have hit the ground. And it had all happened so fast that he had no idea why Kuroko had jumped her and the small forward.

“Tetsu-kun!” Momoi was on the verge of tears.

He watched, Kagami made a fist about to punch that guy… but then had to go back to Kuroko when he could no longer stand. If something like that had happened in middle school, he would have done it. He would have passed Kuroko off to Kise and then punched that guy hard in the face… even if it would have meant that he’d have been benched for the season… possibly banned from the game.

“Daiki do something!” Momoi yelled.

 “Don’t encourage him.” Wakamatsu said. “Security will have him out of this building before he ever reaches anyone from Kirisaki Daichi.”

He glared at Wakamatsu. Then he focused on the game. Kuroko was on the bench, and Kagami was next to him. She seemed angry that she wasn’t in the game. He’d be too if he were in her situation. Seirin could not win without her. But after all the hits she had taken from the other team, it was no surprise that the coach made her sit out.

He glanced at those sitting near his team. Many were from other High School teams. At the very least, he didn’t want to hear anyone else say that she was too delicate to play with the boys. Most guys he had ever played against or with would never have been able to handle taking the brunt of Kirisaki Daichi’s attacks like she had. He’d like to think that he could… but after hearing what Imayoshi had said, it was doubtful that they would target him like they did her.

* * *

 

Halftime. They were back in the locker room. Kagami sat, putting ice on her injuries. Kuroko’s nose had finally stopped bleeding, but there was a bruise forming around it. Riko had to check to make sure it wasn’t broken.

Furihata handed her more ice. She took it and placed it against her thigh.

“Kagami are….” His voice trailed off.

“I’m fine.” She said bitterly, wondering what the guys in the stands were whispering about her, now that she had to sit out.

Hyuga checked over Kiyoshi’s injuries for what seemed like the tenth time. In the last two minutes of the second quarter, Kirisaki Daichi had done a number on him and he was covered in bruises.

“I really can’t believe we put Kagami in the middle of all of them.” Izuki commented looking over at her.

“I know.” Riko hung her head. “And I really feel that we should have her sit out third quarter too.”

“No…” Kagami said coldly. “I’m fine, and we need to get to the Winter Cup.”

“Kagami… if you can’t play in the Winter Cup we’re not going to get very far.” Riko paused. “But don’t worry, I’m going to let you play next quarter.”

The door to the locker room burst open. Momoi ran in with tears in her eyes.

“Tetsu-kun! Kagami-chan!” She cried and ran over and threw her arms around them.

“Hey we could have been changing in here!” Hyuga yelled.

“During half time Hyuga?” Kiyoshi laughed.

Momoi ignored him and instead looked over their bruises, focusing on the one around Kuroko’s nose and then the one above Kagami’s eye.

“But seriously, what are you doing in here?” Riko put her hands on her hips.

“I just wanted to see them.” She said wiping her eyes. “I can’t stand watching this game!”

“Don’t worry Momoi, I’m fine.” Kagami said forcing a smile. “They don’t  hit that hard.”

“I don’t kno- uh Kagami-chan, you lip is bleeding.”

Kagami groaned. “Again?” She pulled out a rag and started dabbing it, cringing when it stung.

Momoi opened up her note book. “They’re going to bring in Kentaro next quarter.”

“Yeah… Kagami texted me your notes last night…. I expected this.” Riko said.

“But I didn’t send everything to Kagami to him.” She opened her note book and handed it over to Riko. R

Riko read through it and her eyes widened. “Oh…”

“And I um… talked more to Imayoshi… Kagami you really need to be careful around Hanamiya…”  


“Don’t worry Momoi, I’ll be fine,” She said and then sighed. “I’ve met other guys like him.”

Momoi turned to Kuroko.

“Tetsu-kun are you okay? Can you still play in this game?”

“I’m going to sit out next quarter to watch Kirisaki Daichi… but I’ll be back in the fourth quarter.” He smiled.

“Yeah we just have to endure one more half, and then we are in the Winter Cup.” Kagami said. The first half had felt like a year, and the second half would probably feel the same.

“But can you hold on to your lead?” Momoi tilted her head.

Kagami sighed. They were six points ahead, but she wasn’t sure. With her injuries it was getting harder and harder to play.

* * *

 

Aomine got up to go to the bathroom. He really didn’t feel like sitting among his team through half time. Once the break started, they kept talking about things he didn’t care much about. And Momoi had got up and left.

He walked through the hall and pushed open the door not paying much attention to anyone else in the bathroom.

“The ace of the generation of miracles is here?” A guy said. Aomine looked and saw that it was Hanamiya, finishing up at the urinal. He had the sudden urge to grab the guy on the back of his head and slam his face against the wall. But he kept his cool.

Aomine walked over to the urinal furthest from him.

“Are you really afraid of losing that you have to beat up on a girl?” He asked if anything to get a rise out of Hanamiya.

Hanamiya laughed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. If she can’t handle playing with the boys she shouldn’t be on the team.”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Aomine clenched his teeth as he finished. “And you had three guys beating up on her, that’s a lot more than most guys in this league can take.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

He so wanted to punch that guy. Knock out a few teeth… but a nice bruise over one of his eyes.

“It’s no different from when she got hurt during the game you played against her.”

“She hurt herself from jumping.” Aomine said coldly.

“Yes, a girl’s body can’t handle sports like a man’s can.” Hanamiya said. “She really belongs on the girl’s team.”

Aomine walked over to the sink and washed his hands, trying to keep his cool but it was getting harder and harder. “You’re going to lose this game.”

“Huh what do you mean?” Hanamiya smirked.

“You made Tetsu angry.” He had caught sight of Kuroko’s eyes right before he stepped in front of Kagami. It was his rare cold look that could make anyone take a step back.

“Oh the phantom?” Hanamiya frowned. “He barely got hit and couldn’t stand, I don’t know why they would let such a weak guy on the court.”

Aomine tensed up and gripped the sink. This guy really really needed to be punched. And it may even be worth getting disqualified from the Winter Cup.

But… why was he getting so worked up over Kuroko? They were only rivals now, and barely rivals. Kuroko’s style couldn’t work against him. Even if Seirin qualified for the Winter Cup, they weren’t going to win.

Hanamiya walked to the door of the bathroom. “I guess we’ll play you in the Winter Cup.”

* * *

 

Third quarter started. Hyuga watched the new player from Kirisaki Daichi with a mole on the center of his forehead walk out onto the court. He vaguely remembered him from last year and how everyone’s passes were messed up.

Four players were now on Kiyoshi. He looked away, not wanting to watch. He was about to receive Izuki’s pass and he reached out for it. But it was stolen by Hanamiya midway through its flight.

He watched dumbfounded as Hanamiya ran off with the ball. Kagami ran to guard him, but another player ran by and jabbed her in the arm.

“Hey leave her alone!” Hyuga yelled.

Hanamiya passed the ball and turned to face him. “Sorry but we can’t do that, by the time this game is over, that bitch won’t be playing the rest of the season.”

He was around to run and punch him, and it took everything he had not to. He eyed Riko, wondering if he should tell her what he had heard.

* * *

 

Kagami jumped up and got a missed shot from Hyuga. She passed to Mitobe but Kirisaki Daichi stole the ball. They ran down the court. Her leg was hit by the bubble gum guy. Kirisaki Daichi scored and was now in the lead.

The guy with the dead eyes stopped next to her.

“I’m sorry, but you won’t score any more points this game.” He said and then ran off.

She rolled her eyes. They were not losing this game. They couldn’t. She glanced over at Kiyoshi and his foot was getting stomped. This would be his last year playing in high school. They couldn’t lose.

* * *

 

Momoi slammed her feet on the ground. She had never gotten so worked up over a basketball game. “Isn’t there anyway we can stop them!”

Imayoshi shrugged. “What do you want us to do? We’re not in the game.”

“They should be disqualified!” Momoi yelled. If only she could video tape the game and show it to someone.

“Don’t you have anything else on him? Something that he wouldn’t want others to know?”

Imayoshi grinned. “You want to black mail him?”

“If that’s that it takes then yes!” She had spoken loudly enough to get other’s attention nearby.

“Even if I do, how am I supposed to do it during the game? I can’t just walk up to the ref and tell him everything I know… and why would he believe me?”

She slumped over in her seat. Wanting to do something to stop that team.

“Still this is bad.” Wakamatsu said. “I really hope we don’t have to play them in the Winter Cup.”

Aomine scoffed at that statement.

“Do you really want to play them Aomine?” Wakamatsu glared at him.

“We could teach them a lesson-“

“No! You’re our ace, you’ll probably end up in the hospital!”

“Yeah Daiki… when you see Tetsu-kun and Kagami-chan up close… it looks awful, Tetsu has a bruise on his nose and Kagami’s lip is cut-“

“Satsuki, when were that close to them?” Aomine eyed her.

“I went to their locker room at half ti-“

“What were you doing in their locker room! And why did they let you in?”

She cowered a bit and then straightened up. “I just wanted to see them!” Aomine never understood anything and she was so angry at how little he seemed to care for Kuroko.

“You didn’t belong in there!”

She knew she didn’t. Momoi squeezed her notebook wishing that she had more information to give to them.

Back on the court, Kagami was fouled again. She went to shoot her free throws. She made the first one but only barely. Her second, her arms didn’t extend all the way before she  let go of ball. She pulled them into her holding her shoulder and the ball hit the rim and bounced off.

Momoi glanced at Aomine. While his face remained neutral she did see him grimacing a little. Maybe he did care.

* * *

 

The third quarter ended. Kagami hobbled over to the bench and sat. Everything hurt and her strategy of shooting free throws was no longer working as her accuracy had fallen. Although dead eyes was wrong. They had scored another point. But she didn’t know if she could make anymore, especially because she knew she was only going to be hurt worse in the final quarter and their chances of going to the Winter Cup seemed smaller and smaller.

Kuroko stood up. “I know how to stop them.”

He now had everyone’s attention. Hyuga looked especially disparate as he waited for him to speak.

“So what do we do?”

“Just play exactly as you were playing.” He said and put on his wrist bands. “And Kagami, run under the net.”

“But Kuroko.” Hyuga spoke.

“Hyuga, just do as he says.” Riko ordered. “Trust Kuroko.”

They were back on the court for fourth quarter. Kirisaki Daichi was eleven points ahead. Kagami was reaching her limit, as was Kiyoshi. But Kuroko had given her a little bit of hope that they could win.

The ball was passed in. Izuki held it. He hesitated before passing to Hyuga. Hanamiya arrived to steal the ball, but Kuroko got to it first. He hit it right to her. The pass caught her off guard but her reflexes were fast enough that she got the ball and she jumped up and scored.

Everyone on Kirisaki Daichi looked between her and Kuroko stunned. Kagami also stared at Kuroko, wondering how he had managed to get to the ball before Hanamiya.

It was Kirisaki Daichi’s ball. But as Kentaro went to pass to Hanamiya, Kuroko stole it mid pass.  He stood still and held the ball. Hanamiya came to mark him. Once he stopped, Kuroko ran past him, doing his vanishing drive. He passed the ball to Kiyoshi who scored two more points.

Hanamiya walked slowly across the court looking at the ground, his eyes intense, and he had to breath to pull himself together. And then he gave some sort of signal to his team.

Kagami tensed up wondering what he was planning. Hyuga had told her that before Kiyoshi was injured last time they played Kirisaki Daichi, Hanamiya had given a signal for the others to hurt his knee.

Kirisaki Daichi did a long pass to their basket. Kentaro had the ball. He jumped up to dunk. Kiyoshi jumped to block. Kentaro scored and as they fell he leaned back, hitting Kiyoshi and knocking him so that he fell and landed on his back, they fell. Kentaro stuck out his arm as he fell and hit Kiyoshi over the eyes.

“Kiyoshi!” Hyuga ran over to him. Kagami and Kuroko followed.

Kiyoshi sat up covering his eyes. “I’m okay.” He gasped. When he removed his hands, blood trickled out from a cut. “And don’t worry, I’ll protect everyone.”

“No! At this rate you won’t play in the winter cup!” Hyuga argued. “Stop playing the middle by yourself!”

“No… I can…”

Seirin called for another time out. Riko made Kiyoshi sit on the bench and the first years tended to his wound.

“Kagami how are you?” Riko asked.

“Fine.” She said. Ever since Kuroko had been back in the game and stopping Hanamiya’s steals, Kirisaki Daichi had turned their attention off her.

Riko nodded and then hesitated before she spoke. “Are you okay to play the rest of the game?”

“Yeah.” She said wondering why it was even a question.

Riko turned to Kiyoshi. “Kiyoshi, I’m sorry but you’re out the rest of the game.”

He blinked. “What? No if I’m not out there Kirisaki Daichi will-”

“No, you’re sitting out. After that last play…. And I noticed your knee… I don’t care if you’re going to hate me, I’d rather that you not get another injury.”

“Yeah…” Hyuga said. “We can’t just put you in there to take their hits for us… we’re a team… please leave the rest to us.”

Kiyoshi took a deep breath. “Fine I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“And Kagami.” Riko spoke. “Don’t go to the inside by yourself.”

She nodded. But now with Kuroko playing, that may not be necessary.

* * *

 

Kise watched. He hated this game and everything about Kirisaki Daichi. How the three of them ganged up on Kagami and later Kiyoshi, and how Kuroko was injured. They were in the fourth quarter and Kirisaki Daichi was still in the lead. But now that Kuroko was back in the game, things were changing.

He watched Hyuga score a three… which Kise realized, was the first basket he had made that game.

“Do you think it will be a turnover?” Kise asked.

Kasamatsu nodded. “Kuroko is really turning things around… and Hyuga finally made a three… I think because he no longer has to worry about Kiyoshi.”

A player hit Kagami while she had the ball. He looked down, hating to watch that happen, but a foul was called. Although he had seen her last free throw.

Kagami went to shoot, putting everything she had into the shot. It went in. The second one, she forced her arms to full extension as she shot. It circled the basket and then fell in. She held her arms when she finished.

“I really hope something bad happens to them after this game.” Kise said.

“Kise you shouldn’t wish that on someone.” Kasamatsu eyed him. “But I do too.”

* * *

 

Takao walked through the hallway during half time, making his way to the locker room. He had left his water bottle at his place on the bench and had to run back to get it. As he hurried through the hall, he overheard two people talking.

“Did you hear about the Kirisaki Daichi and Seirin game?” One guy spoke. “Seirin put their girl in the middle of three of them, and they really did a number on her.”

“Yeah I heard, her lip was bleeding and she’s still playing in the game.”

Takao nearly dropped his water bottle, and slowed to listen in on more of the conversation. They had played Kirisaki Daichi, but not the first string, and not their captain. The second string…. Wasn’t much to talk about. It was an easy game for them. But he had heard enough rumors about the team especially the captain.

“That team is full of scum bags… but if I ever got into a fight, I’d hate to have her as my opponent.”

“Yeah… but I still can’t believe their coach put her in the middle of those guys.”

He picked up his pace wondering if he should tell the rest of the team. But then he realized something. Midorima’s lucky item was a 20lb weight. While he was usually a calm rational person this might be the one thing to make him go and do something very impulsive.. .and that could have him in jail.

* * *

 

 Hyuga caught Kuroko’s pass and scored another three. They were now a point a head. Seirin had made a turnover. And there was one-minute left on the clock.

“Keep going!” Hyuga yelled. “Don’t slack off yet!”

Kirisaki Daichi got the ball. Seirin waited for Hanamiya to pull something but he shot right behind the three pointer line and scored, putting Kirisaki Daichi three points ahead.

“You know.” He glared at Seirin. “I can score without any dirty tricks.”

Thirty seconds left on the clock. They needed a three.  As Kuroko ran to redirect Izuki’s pass, Kagami saw the bubble gum guy run at him, ready to run him down. Kagami rushed forward, putting herself between them.

“Nope.” She said as he slammed into her. She fell to the ground. It hurt, but it was the final play and she could deal with it. And as long as Kuroko got that pass…

Kuroko got to the ball and passed to Hyuga. Hyuga jumped and shot his three pointer, just before the center could block his shot. The ball went in the net and a second later the buzzer went off.

Bubblegum looked at her. “You little bitch.”

She ignored him. Seirin had won, and they were going to the Winter Cup. She cheered as did others around her.

Kuroko walked over and offered his hand to help her stand up. She accepted it and had to forcer herself onto her feet. But she had enough adrenaline running through her that the pain wasn’t that bad.

Kiyoshi, Riko, and the other second and first years ran out to celebrate with them. Kiyoshi gave her a big hug and squeezed her ribs a little too tight, but she endured it.

Once Kiyoshi let her go, he walked over to Hanamiya.

“Hanamiya, that last shot you made, you really are a good player.” He smiled.

Kagami scoffed, wondering why Kiyoshi had to waste time being nice to him. As far as she was concerned, Hanamiya was the worst and deserved no kindness.

“Kiyoshi… we lost… I’m sorry about everything.” Hanamiya said and for a moment he looked genuine. Then he glared at him as if he were about to commit murder. “Like I would ever say something like that! Next time we will crush you! I’ll make you regret ever playing this game!”

She looked at Kuroko and frowned. Kuroko looked angry too.

“Okay we’ll play again someday.” Kiyoshi smiled.

They lined up and walked back to the locker rooms. Once she sat down, pain rushed through her arms and legs.

“Alright everyone.” Riko spoke. “Everyone on our first string is injured, so there will be no practice tomorrow. But…” She paused and smiled. “We are going to the Winter Cup! And this week we will be going to the hot springs in the mountains before we start our second training camp!”

* * *

 

“They won!” Momoi cheered as soon as the buzzer went off. She looked over and even Aomine seemed happy, as much as he tried not to show it.

“They did.” Imayoshi said showing no emotion and still looking forward. “But now is when you really need to worry about Kagami.”

Momoi bit her lip.

Aomine left as Seirin was leaving the court. He didn’t want to stay to watch Shutoku’s game because he said that he already knew the results.

Momoi wanted to see it though. She walked to the other gym with everyone else from Touou wondering what to do about Hanamiya. The boys outside of Imayoshi didn’t seem at all concerned. They just didn’t understand how scary someone like him could be.

As predicted, Shutoku won by a huge point lead. Almost as soon as the teams lined up, Momoi received a text. It was from Akashi, asking how both games went.

The information would be available publicly soon enough, but maybe, him being Akashi, he wanted it right away.

She informed him that both Seirin and Shutoku won their games. And then she went on a long rant to him about Kirisaki Daichi, how brutal they were and how Kagami may still have to worry about her safety.

Akashi responded with one text.

“I’ll take care of it.”

* * *

 

Hanamiya was livid. Teiko’s phantom sixth man had ruined his plans. Seirin should have lost and Kiyoshi should never have walked off that court. And Kagami… he pissed her off more than anyone. He could still teach her a lesson, he had enough guys to help. He could ruin that pretty little face of hers…

Then he received a text, from… Akashi Seijuro? That was how he was greeted anyway. Then he received a second text and his eyes widened.

“If Kagami Taiga is injured from now until the end of the Winter Cup… it will be months before they find your bodies.”

He threw his cell phone down. Fine whatever, he had things to concern him with other than some dumb girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as you can see, I made Hanamiya an outright misogynist. But in his character info he says that his favorite type of girl is a stupid girl, so it fits. But yeah fuck that guy. And that ref... he needs to be fired. At least I can write the hot spring chapter next.
> 
> I think this is the longest chapter... damn it Hanamiya... But at least it's over.
> 
> Now I need to go rest.


	27. Hot Spring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright this was a much happier chapter to write.

Her bruises were healing, but her whole body still hurt. Especially around her ribs and her feet. But she had hope that the hot spring would help her to heal faster.

She stood with her team in the lobby, waiting for Riko to check them in. Her friend’s family owned it and were giving them a discount to stay there for the night. They had even allowed them to bring Nigou, who was now in Kuroko’s arms and being pet by Izuki and Kiyoshi.

Kagami listened to the clerk tell them about the men’s the women’s and the mixed spring. Then she handed Riko the keys to their rooms.

The room that she and Riko would share was smaller than the one at the beach and there was one king sized bed and a view of the forest.

Kagami opened her bag and pulled out a red strapless bikini.

“Why do you have that?” Riko asked.

“They don’t have these in the US… I’d be more comfortable if I had this on under my towel… is that okay?”

“Yeah it’s fine. I’ve just never seen wear a bathing suit to one of these.”

Once they had set their things down, they met back up with the boys in the lobby.

 “Which spring are you guys using?” Kagami asked.

“The men’s of course.” Hyuga said rolling his eyes. “What else?”

“But there’s a mixed one… we could all go in together.”

Everyone of the boy’s eyes widened.

“Kagami…” Riko said coldly.

“Come on, we’re all covered up aren’t we? I mean that towel covers up me up more than when I go swimming.” The mixed spring made the most sense to her. She wanted to spend the trip with her team, not simply just Riko.

“But… only families and old people use those.” Izuki stuck up his nose.

“And do you really want to go into a spring with men?” Hyuga folded his arms.

Kagami looked around. “It’s a small spring, we’re the only ones here.” She noted. “And besides, in the locker room, some of you start getting undressed before I leave.”

Koganei and Hyuga’s faces got red and Kiyoshi laughed.

“I’ll be in the mixed spring if anyone wants to join.” She said and walked to the women’s changing room. Riko groaned and followed her.

“We really shouldn’t.” She heard Hyuga.

Kiyoshi patted him on the back. “Come on, it will be fun and as Kagami said, we’ll all be covered up.”

* * *

 

She lowered herself into the hot water and already her muscles felt like they were relaxing. There was a little sting over a few of her cuts, but it wasn’t too bothersome.

 Kuroko stepped in next to her. The bruise on his nose was almost completely healed but if you looked close, you could still see it.

“This is nice.” She said sinking lower into the water and watching the rest of her team. Koganei was treating it like a swimming pool and showing off his butterfly stroke. Hyuga was complaining that he had to wear the towel because he was in with girls, while Izuki suggested that he just go to the men’s side. And Kiyoshi just sat enjoying the warm water.

“They’re okay. Just a little too hot.” Kuroko said blankly. “You’ve never been to one?”

She shook her head. “No they don’t really have these in America… I guess the closest thing are hot tubs.” She remembered when Alex would take her and Himuro to the pool on hot summer days, and they would go into the hot tub. And then jump into pool water which would be freezing. They probably annoyed the older people who just wanted to enjoy the warm water.

Kuroko stared off into the distance. Kagami noticed that after only a short while in the spring, he was sweating more than the others. But she leaned back, enjoying the company while the boys were up to their own antics.

Izuki walked by. “You two look like a married couple… are you sure there’s nothing going on between  you two?”

“No.” Kagami said sitting up. “Why does everyone keep asking?”

“Because…” Hyuga glared at her. “He has a key to your apartment, he stays the night there sometimes, you two are always eating lunch together, and now you’re just sitting together in a hot spring like an old married couple.”

Kagami sighed. “He has a key to take care of the dog. I’m not getting up in the morning to take it outside, and everyone here knows that I don’t like dogs. And we’re teammates, why wouldn’t we eat and sit in the hot spring together.”

“Sorry but you two just confuse us.” Tsuchida said. “It reminds me of me and my girlfriend.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t date teammates.” She said. Although she realized how it could look to an outsider. They were a guy and a girl that spent a lot of time together. But they didn’t do anything different that what other friends would do. She wasn’t even sure if she fully understood her relationship with Kuroko. They were close friends, but there were times that he still felt distant from her, as if he hadn’t told her everything. Most of their time alone together was spent in silence. Not an awkward silence. Kuroko was a quiet person and was more often than not, silently observing others. But usually they were eating lunch, or at her house watching TV, or even at the park playing basketball, or Kuroko would at least do homework and study.

Riko yelled at Koganei not to jump into the spring from onto of a rock pile. And then she went over and sat next to Kagami. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.” She said looking down at that the water. “But maybe it’s a good thing we’re in here.” Earlier she had to yell at Fukada not to sneak up on Furihata and push him into the spring.

“We’d be the only one’s on the girl’s side. And it’s a good bonding experience.” Kagami said looking around at the guys.

Riko spoke in a low voice. “This isn’t exactly how I want to bond with the team. But…” She eyed a bruise on Kagami’s shoulder. “You do deserve this… and him.” She nodded her head towards Kiyoshi. “I think the warm water is good for his knee.”

Kagami nodded. Kiyoshi’s knee had especially been bothering him following the Kirisaki Daichi game. They took him to the doctor, and luckily the injury wasn’t worse, especially after dead eyes had hit his knee. But he seemed to be enjoying his the spring and watching his teammates.

Hyuga climbed out and stood at the edge. “First years! It’s time to wash your senpai’s backs!” He declared. Furihata and Kawahara stopped what they were doing and looked at him.

Kagami stood up and grabbed a rag.

“Not you kagami!” He yelled. “It’s not proper to ask a girl to do that! But you Kuroko… get over here!”

Kagami sat back down. “So I guess I just get to sit in here then.” She laughed.

“Um…” Riko grinned at her. “Actually, I’m your senpai.” Then she stood up. “Come on.”

Kagami groaned, wishing that she hadn’t said anything. They boys watched, as they walked, some of them with their mouths hanging open. Riko glared at them as she sat down.

“If any of you look... I’ll kill you!”

“Yes and I’ll kill you too!” Hyuga added. “Now Kawahara, wash my back!”

Riko adjusted her towel so that only her back was visible. Kagami grabbed the rag and started scrubbing.

“That feels nice.” Riko smiled and rested her chin in her hands. “So when do you leave for America?”

“The day after tomorrow.” Kagami responded. She couldn’t wait to be back home and visit some old friends. “I just hope that Alex can help.” She didn’t doubt her. Alex was an ex WNBA player. But Aomine played like no one she had ever met. And there was still two GOM that he hadn’t played yet… one being a giant. And if she couldn’t beat them, then the whole trip to America would be pointless.

As she washed, Kagami would occasionally glance over at the boys to make sure that they weren’t watching. But they were behaving themselves. Kuroko had finished up with Kiyoshi and was now washing Nigou and both were covered in suds. Someone commented that they looked like cotton candy and Kagami had to agree.

When she finished, Riko adjusted her towel and they walked back over to the spring. When Kuroko finished up with Nigou, he joined them.

“Hey guys!” Koganei had just come back from the changing rooms. “A bunch of college girls just checked in, they’ll be in-“

Riko stood up. ‘If any of you even think about peeping… I will kill you.”

Koganei shrunk up. “Uh… never mind.”

“Besides, you have two girls in here with you already.” Kagami said. She didn’t understand why a bunch of college girls would get him excited when there were two women in the spring with him already. Maybe they weren’t built like Momoi, but  they were girls nonetheless.

“Yeah but you’re our teammate and coach… that would just be weird.” Izuki said.

“What’s weird about-“

“Kagami don’t encourage them!” Riko gritted her teeth.

There was a splash next to her. She turned. Kuroko was laying underwater with his eyes closed.

“Tetsuya!” Kagami dove down and pulled his head above water. His eyes remained closed.

“The heat must have gotten to him!” Riko said. “Get him out!”

 Kiyoshi and Mitobe ran over to help but by the time they reached them Kagami already had him up on the side of the spring lying down.

“Hey are you okay!” She yelled. His face was red and he was breathing heavily. The rest of the team was gathering around.

“Stay back and give him some air!” Riko ordered the others.

“Hey Tetsuya!” Kagami yelled putting her hand on the side of his face.

Kuroko eyes opened but he didn’t say anything. He only let out a loud breath.

“We need to get him into cooler air.” Riko said. “And some water.”

“Alright!” Kagami said and picked him up. “Furihata come help me.” She said and carried him off.

“Kagami you don’t need to be the one to take him!” Hyuga yelled after her. But she was already too far way to stop.

“That looks ridiculous!” Koganei said.

“She’s carrying him bridal style…” Tsuchida commented.

Kagami reached the changing rooms and was about to enter the women’s. But then realized that she couldn’t bring Kuroko and Furihata inside, especially knowing that college girls were visiting the spring. So she went to the men’s, knowing that it would be empty… or so she thought.

She burst in running and it wasn’t until she was halfway through the room when she heard all the gasps and shrieks, that she realized that it was full of guys in various stage of undress. Right in front of her was Wakamatsu from Touou.

“Oh…” She said and directed her vision upwards.

“Kagami! What are you doing in here!” Wakamatsu yelled covering himself with his shirt.

She shifted Kuroko in her arms, needing to lay him down somewhere before he became too heavy. And it needed to be soon, so there was no time to leave the room.

 “Okay everyone, just cover up what you don’t want me to see!” She said and carried Kuroko to a bench. “Furihata get me a cold rag!” She looked and made eye contact with Sakurai, who still had all his clothes on. “And you! I need water!”

“Um… okay!” He said and ran off.

“He’s taking orders for her!” An unknown second year yelled.

“Kagami what are you doing in here!” Wakamatsu yelled again. “This is the men’s room!”

“Kuroko needed help!” She said. “I couldn’t take him into the women’s. And I should be the one asking why you guys are here!”

Hyuga entered the room red faced. “Kagami you don’t belong- Touou! What are you doing here!”

“We had a practice game nearby.” Imayoshi said and then put his hands on his hips. “And we had some news for you… but… this ruined our entrance.”

“So you're stalking us?” Kagami said coldly, keeping her eyes on Kuroko, not daring to look behind her.

“Hmm... yeah I guess we are.” Imayoshi said and she had a feeling he was smiling.

“Imayoshi… you’re making this creepy.”

Furihata and Sakurai returned. Kagami took the water bottle from Sakura and helped Kuroko sit up. She brought water to his lips, which he slowly drank. But her towel had become lose and it was annoying to hold it in place.

“One second Kuroko.” She laid him back down, stood up and let the towel drop to her feet.

All the boys gasped.

“Kagami what are you-“

But then they saw that she was wearing the bikini. Some groaned in disappointment, others sounded relieved. She had more important matters to deal with to care.

"Look at those bruises!" One commented.

"Kirisaki Daichi really is horrible!"

“Well that’s no fun.” Imayoshi said.

“You shouldn’t be looking at her!” Hyuga yelled.

“She’s the one that came in here. And what are we supposed to do when a girl at a hot spring just drops her towel.”

“You turn around! You don't look!”

 She lifted Kuroko again and gave him more water. Touou was being annoying. She wished that they would just finish changing and then go to the spring. But even though she wasn’t facing them, she knew that some were too embarrassed to continue. Others were just intrigued and wanted to watch her care for Kuroko.

“The light taking care of her shadow.” One said almost in awe.

She laid him back down and put the wet rag on his forehead.

She heard Hyuga take a deep breath. “Kagami… why don’t you let me and Furihata finish up here. I don't want you in here with him any longer.” She only assumed he was pointing to Imayoshi.

“Fine.” She said picking up her towel. “Just bring him out to the lobby when he has his clothes on.”

She had her eyes to the ceiling as she walked out of the men’s room. But she could feel the boys watching her as she left.

When she entered the women’s changing room, she was greeted by the sight of Momoi, wrapping the towel around her.

“Um…” kagami blushed. She really was big on top. And the rest of her body was very nice too.

“Kagami-chan!” Momoi smiled and ran over and gave her a hug. Her body pressed up against Kagami’s and those towels were thin...

“Uh…” Kagami really wasn’t sure how to handle this. First all the boys and now this… but she should have expected that Momoi would be with them… and Aomine? Was he with the others and she had missed him?

 Momoi let her go. “You’re not done in the spring are you?” She stuck out her lower lip. “I really wanted to go in with you.”

“No…” Kagami said. “Tetsuya just fainted… I’m just going to go take care of him… and then I’ll be back.”

“What!” Momoi looked worried. “Where is he?”

“In the men’s room… they’re bringing him out to the lobby after he gets his clothes on and I’m going to bring him back to the room.”

“Do you need any help?”

“Don’t worry, I should be fine.” She said, not expecting it to take her that long. “Go enjoy the spring. I promise I’ll be down in a little bit.”

Momoi nodded.

The door opened again and Riko entered. She blinked when she saw Momoi.

“Um…”

“Touou is here.” Kagami said. “I ran into the guys in the men’s room-“

“You were in the men’s room!” Momoi shrieked.

“They have some news for us.” Kagami continued trying to be quick, she was worried that Kuroko was already out there waiting for her.

“Oh… um… how is Kuroko?” Riko asked.

“Right now being taken care of by Hyuga and Furihata… but he’s doing a little better.”

 “Well if Touou is here, I’m going to the women’s spring.” Riko groaned and made her way to the exit.

“Kagami, you were in the mixed spring?”

“Yeah… the guys are still there, just no girls now.” She laughed at the irony. “I’ll meet you in the women’s later.”

Momoi nodded and followed Riko out to the spring.

* * *

 

She waited in the lobby longer than expected. Kagami even considered opening the door to the men’s room and asking what was taking so long. But she didn’t want to be greeted by a bunch of boys undressing again.

Finally, Wakamatsu walked out with Kuroko, both fully dressed and steadying him. He led him over to the bench not looking at Kagami.

“That first year couldn’t lift him and your captain is still arguing with Imayoshi.” His eyes were locked onto the ground.

She took Kuroko and helped him lay down on the bench.

“Um… thank you.” She said. “And uh… don’t worry I didn’t see anything.”

He sighed. “You were right in front of me… there’s no way that you didn’t.”

Truth was, she had seen him for about second before he covered up. But she was so concerned about Kuroko that she hadn’t really processed it at the time.

“Um… you looked good.” The words spilled out of her mouth and she thought it would make him feel better. But his face only got red.

“Imayoshi and his stupid ideas.” He said as he walked back to the changing room.

With him gone, she focused on Kuroko and put the wet rag on his forehead. “How are you feeling?” She asked. He looked a little better.

“Better… um Kagami… were you really in the boys room?” Kuroko said and looked like he would have laughed if he weren't so weak.

She grinned. “Yeah… I didn’t know Touou was in there… but don’t worry, Furihata was the one that changed your clothes... at least I think...” She paused. "Now, I'm going to get you a drink."

* * *

 

Hyuga sat in the water after that fiasco. He couldn’t believe that of all the possible teams that they could run into, Touou was the one that had to be there. Why couldn’t it have been Kaijo or Shutoku? At least Seirin got along with them. But then the idea of sharing the spring with Kise and how flirty he would be with Kagami and hanging all over Kuroko… the guy probably wouldn’t wear his towel.

It made him mad to just imagine it. He’d rather Shutoku, because Midorima would at least keep his distance.

“Seirin what a coincidence.” Imayoshi said entering the spring. The rest of the team followed.

“We already knew you were here!” Hyuga yelled. “Now tell us why!”

“It seems the girls left… what’s the point of being in the mixed spring if it’s just men?” Imayoshi looked around.

“I asked why you are here!”

* * *

 

Aomine watched Kagami lay the rag on Kuroko’s forehead and then go to the vending machine around the corner. It was something that he would have done for him at one time… but maybe not as gentle as her.

“They don’t have your drink.” She said running back to him. “I’ll check the front desk.”

Once she was gone, Aomine walked over to Kuroko, holding the drink he knew he’d want. Kuroko’s eyes were shut, his face was still red and he was sweating. Of course, Kuroko was still delicate as ever.

He noticed the fading bruise around his nose. That team had hurt Kuroko of all people. Hanamiya really needed to be punched.

 Aomine placed the drink next to him against his face.

“Thank you.” Kuroko said reaching for it and opening his eyes. His eyes widened. “Aomine-kun?”

Aomine sat on the bench next to him and opened his own drink. It felt a little like old times in middle school. Kuroko forced himself to sit up and there was a look of hope in his eyes that nearly killed Aomine. But he brushed it off. Their Teiko days were over and Kuroko was only his rival.

“So…” Aomine spoke. “I saw your last game… was that the new move Satsuki was talking about?” He wouldn’t admit it but he had been slightly impressed.

Kuroko nodded, his face as unreadable as ever. “Yes, it’s to use against you in the Winter Cup.”

Aomine shook his head and laughed quietly. “Sorry Tetsu… it’s not going to work.” After watching it a few times he knew how to get by it. And it would be easy. Kuroko was going to have to do better than that.

He heard footsteps behind him. He turned around to see that Kagami approaching them slowly. He was taken aback by the bruise that was still healing above her eye and the fading cut on he rip. It was one thing to see that on a guy… but a girl? Maybe he should have smashed Hanamiya’s face in the bathroom.

 Kagami walked right by him over to Kuroko and then glared at him. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you with your team in the hot spring?”

“I didn’t play in the practice game, I don’t need it.” There was no way he was going into a spring with a bunch of guys, especially if Imayoshi was going to be there. Nor did he want to give the news to Seirin in nothing but a towel… just what was his captain thinking?

“So you’re just hanging out in the lobby?” She raised her eyebrow.

“I saw Tetsu lying down, I thought he could use some help.”

“I don’t know... it didn’t sound like you were helping him.” She said. “I mean you couldn’t leave him alone while he was recovering?” She folded her arms and gave him a glare… she really didn’t like him. It bothered him that she didn’t. Even though he knew why.

He pointed to the drink that Kuroko was holding. “I knew which one he’d want.” Maybe he had gone too far telling Kuroko that his new skill wouldn’t work but getting him that drink had to count for something.

She sighed in resignation. “Okay fine… but why are you here? This is a small spring, and I had to see more of your team than I ever wanted.”

 “Satsuki got a hold of the bracket for the Winter Cup.” He began. “And we just wanted Seirin to know that your first opponent… will be us.”

The whole time, Kuroko remained silent, looking between the two. Aomine would have given anything to know what he was thinking. Did he want him gone like Kagami seemed to? Or was he hoping to reconnect, something that Aomine had no intention of doing.

She smirked. “Good, we’ll eliminate you early then.”

He laughed almost liking her arrogance. He so could take her back to a room and fuck her. “You’re cocky aren’t you? And I said it before… you’re good, and not just for a girl, you can play better than most guys… but you’re still nowhere near the level of the generation of miracles.” He wouldn’t say it out loud, but he wondered if, as a girl, she had hit her limit.

“We’ll see.” She said and then eyed Kuroko. “Tetsuya, are you ready to go back to the room?”

Aomine frowned. He still wanted to talk to her. He always felt more alive when the two argued over who was going to win, even though the answer was obvious to him. But it reminded him of himself back in middle school, and he wanted to have that feeling again, where the game was fun and a challenge. If she were good enough to beat him, he’d love to challenge to her one on ones… and then go straight to the bedroom after.

Kuroko looked conflicted whether or not he wanted to leave but he finally nodded. Kagami helped him up, and Kuroko have her a look that he used to give him in middle school. It almost hurt to see it go to someone else.

He watched them walk, wondering if he would see Kagami again for the rest of Touou’s stay. He had a sudden urge to run and grab her arm and beg her to stay and talk over everything… but he knew that surprising her like that would probably get him hurt.

* * *

 

She sat next to where Kuroko lay in the bed and put her hand on the side of his face. It was a little cooler than before, but still warm. They were in her and Riko’s room. Kuroko didn’t have his key and Kagami didn’t want to search through the guys things anyway.

“I’m sorry, did you want to stay with him a little longer?” She only heard the very end of what Aomine and Kuroko were talking about and she didn’t like it. Not while Kuroko was still weak. And she had instinctively gone to his side to give him any support he would need and stopping herself from giving Aomine the cold shoulder and walking away with Kuroko right there. But it helped that she wanted to hear what he had to say.

“No it’s fine… I think he only wanted to tell us that we were going to lose.” Kuroko sat up and drank more of what Aomine had given him. The lobby didn’t have any of that kind left either… but somehow Aomine had it.

She wasn’t sure what to think of that. He had gotten Kuroko what he wanted but then and seemed to care that he had fainted in the spring, but then he followed up by telling him that his vanishing drive wouldn’t work against him.

He could make her so angry but she still wanted to be around him. Kagami regretted leaving the lobby the way that she did. It was a little fun talking to him about the Winter Cup, even if she still wasn’t confident that she could beat him in a game.

Then she had to remind herself that he was an asshole. That he had hurt Kuroko and late in the summer, Momoi… but Kuroko still wanted to help him and was under the impression that if he were to lose a game, that everything would be fixed.

She groaned. The issue was giving her a headache and she felt that Kuroko was way too optimistic .

She stayed with Kuroko for about an hour before she went back to the spring. When he looked well enough that he would no longer collapse by just walking across a room. Momoi was waiting for her after all.

* * *

 

It felt like ages had past by the time Kagami had made it back out to the hot spring. Momoi sat next to her grinning widely. She was so close… and she could see the muscles on her arm… as well as a dark bruise.

Riko was across from them glaring at her, but Momoi paid her no mind. She got to have Kagami all the time. For Momoi, being around her was something special.

“Kagami… are you really okay after Kirisaki Daichi?” It still made her mad to think about that game. She had texted Kagami several times after the game asking if she was okay and if she needed anything. And… she’d never tell anyone but she had her own fantasies of taking care of her wounds and kissing all her bruises… she felt herself blushing just thinking about it.

“Yeah don’t worry Momoi.” Kagami laughed. “I don’t know who taught those boys how to hit because they really couldn’t hit hard.

She sighed knowing that Kagami was only trying to make her feel better. But hearing her say that did make her feel warm inside. Kagami really was a tough girl. But she still did want to ease her mind about one thing.

“Um… you don’t have to worry about them anymore… I talked to Akashi… he said he would take care of it.”

“Akashi?” Kagami tilted her head. “Okay I’ve never met Teiko’s captain… but why would he want to get involved?”

Momoi shrugged. She didn’t understand it either. All she had done was rant to him over text and never expected him to want to help. But he would have heard of her… was it possible that he found her interesting? Or did he just not like foul play?

 “Maybe he just wants the Winter Cup to be fair?” She suggested. After all, he wouldn’t play against Touou if Aomine couldn’t play.

“Tell him that I’m grateful.” She said looking relieved.

“Kagami… are you sharing a room with Tetsu-kun?” She asked. She had wondered how Seirin did their room arrangements. On Touou’s team, when they went to their training camp, she got her own room. But Seirin’s coach was a high school girl. Maybe she wouldn’t care as much if the boys and girls shared.

Kagami shook her head. “No… with her.” She pointed to Riko.

“Huh?” Momoi looked over at the coach who now had a smug smile on her face.

“And there is only one bed in our room, we have to share.” Riko added.

“What!” Momoi accidently yelled loudly. Maybe she should have gone to Seirin with Kuroko. She glance dover at Riko who still had a look of pride on her face. Oh she would show her.

“Um Kagami…” Momoi smiled. “Can I wash your back?”

“Huh? Um yeah sure.”

“Shouldn’t her senpai be the one to do that?” Riko said through her teeth.

“I can do it better, I’m a D cup.” Momoi winked at her.

“And why would that matter!”

“Come on Kagami.” Momoi smiled and gabbed a rag.

“Hey! No you don’t!” Riko ran after her. “I’m the one that’s going to wash her back!”

“Um… if you two really want you both wash my back...”

* * *

 

Hyuga sat near the barrier to the springs, overhearing the girls. He was still recovering from that sauna challenge that Mitobe had won for Seirin and didn’t want to be in the hot water.

 Imayoshi wandered over to him. Hyuga started to back away. The last person that he wanted near him was the creepy captain of Touou. He was happy that Riko had left the mixed spring when she did.

“Too bad the girls aren’t in here anymore.” Imayoshi said listening to the other side.

He groaned almost agreeing. Somehow Kagami was the one who got the most attention from other girls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah this one got a little out of control lol. And you know, Wakamatsu was the third guy on the bench in Last Game... I had to look up who he was (why not choose Himuro or one of the uncrowned kings!) and I figured I'd give him more spotlight in this fic... then I do that to him...


	28. Alex and America

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright time for a trip to America.

The sun shined through the window, waking her up. They had forgotten to close the curtains the night before. Kagami kept her eyes closed wanting more sleep. She was about to doze off when Riko spoke.

“Hey Kagami, move over.” Her coach moaned.

She became aware of the body next to her, and started to roll over, only to realize that there was no where to roll to.

“Um Riko… if I move over anymore, I’m going to fall out of bed.”

“Huh?” Riko lifted her head. “Oh sorry!” She moved to the center.

Kagami sat up and rubbed her eyes. “This is a king-sized bed, how did you take over the whole thing?”

“I really don’t know.” She laughed embarrassed, and then pulled the blankets over her.

Kagami stretched and checked the time, now wide awake. Her plan would leave in five hours.  She slid out of her bed and began to gather up her stuff.

Riko watched. “You know, I would have killed to see Touou’s reaction when you ran into the men’s room.”

Kagami laughed. “They were all surprised.” She wasn’t sure what to think of her running in on them. Yeah she wasn’t supposed to be in the men’s room, but she had expected it to be empty and Kuroko needed help. Touou was the one that decided to crash their hot spring visit.

“Did you uh… get a good look at any of them?” Riko grinned.

“I was paying more attention to Kuroko… and most were still covered… but… Wakamatsu, I nearly ran into him.”

“And?” She looked at Kagami with a look of anticipation.

“Very impressive.”

She said and they both laughed.

* * *

 

Hours later, Kagetora drove her to the airport. He seemed a little disappointed that she wouldn’t be at the camp with Riko, despite him being the one to run their training and would be with her.

The flight from Tokyo to LA was long. She entertained herself with some in flight movies, a few that she had heard about but never got around to watching. And she ate a few snacks she had bought at the airport. But finally, she put on her headphones, turning on her iPod and closed her eyes.

She thought about her team, and how they were probably exhausted after a long day of training in the mountains. A part of her wished that she could be there with them. But she knew that she could get far more help from Alex.

She had fallen asleep sometime during midflight and was woken up by the plane landing. When it came to a stop, she texted Kuroko, letting him know that she had arrived.

She picked up her carry on and then exited the plan. She was almost caught off guard when she was greeted by someone in English. But she made her way to baggage claim where she would meet Alex.

She didn’t have to wait long.

“Taiga!” Alex cried out. Kagami turned towards the direction of the voice, and before she even saw Alex, arms were thrown around her. She did a quick look to make sure that it was in fact Alex hugging her.

 “I missed you so much!” Alex held her tighter and then gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Kagami smiled. It had been two years since she had visited Alex. They had chatted through texts, social media and e-mails. But she missed her hugs, and the doting she would do.

“I missed you too.” She said returning the hug.

The sun was warm when they left the airport, a welcome change from Tokyo that time of the year. Alex threw her bag into the back seat.

“So how do you like Japan?” Alex asked. She had asked it many times, but Kagami knew what was coming next.

“I really like my basketball team.” And that really the best part of being in Japan. That and the other friends she made. But, now that she was back in LA… it really felt like she was home.

“And you’ve had no trouble on the boy’s team?”

She shook her head. “I told you that my coach is a high school girl, that really helps.” She didn’t dare tell her about Kirisaki Daichi and she wondered if any of her bruises were still noticeable.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Then she grinned. “Have you met any cute boys?”

Her face got red. There were quite a few cute boys that she met and all were good at basketball. All at first infuriated her in some way… and some still drove her insane.

Alex laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes. You’ll have to tell me about it later.”

She groaned, not wanting to talk about the generation of miracles. They were her rivals, she needed to focus on winning her games against them, not falling in love. But there was another guy that was bothering her far more than them.

“And um…” She hesitated both wanting and not wanting to talk about this. “I found out that Tatsuya was back in Japan… in August.”

Alex eyed her. “He didn’t contact you in March?”

Kagami shook her head, feeling bitterness creep in. “No, I saw him at a streetball tournament.”

“Damn it Tatsuya.” Alex whispered squeezing the steering wheel. “Before he left he said that he was going to call you.”

“Well he didn’t. And I haven’t seen or spoken to him since the game.” She folded her arms. She never imagined that that one stupid street ball game when she was thirteen would cause this many problems between them.

Alex pulled up to her house. Kagami carried her bag inside and to the guest room. It was nearly identical to the last time she saw it, covered in basketball décor and posters of famous NBA and WNBA players covered the walls.

She and Himuro would use the room, whenever their parents were busy and either needed a place to stay the night. And one time, they had both needed to stay with Alex, and Himuro got put on the pull-out couch in the basement. She remembered how they stayed up all night watching TV, neither using the guest room.

Kagami yawned. It was tempting to lay down in the bed and take and nap, but she forced herself to stay awake. It was more important to adjust to the time difference.

She passed framed pictures hanging on the wall. Most were of Alex and her time in the WNBA, but there were also some of her high school, as well as pictures of her and Himuro. She noted one where the three of them were at the pool together. She remembered the day it was taken, when she and Himuro tried to race each other down the length of the pool, only to upset other people that were in their path. And later, Alex had bought them ice cream, and the picture was taken shortly after.

In the kitchen, Alex was sitting at the table reading a fitness magazine. Kagami sat next to her and her stomach growled.

Alex eyed her. “We’ll go out and get lunch soon, if you’re up for it. I’ll understand if you want to rest.”

“No I want food.” The last thing she had eaten was bland airplane food, and she might as well take advantage of being home and eat at her favorite restaurants.

“And Taiga…” Her voice was now more serious. “if you want to come back to live in LA…. The guest room will be yours.”

She smiled. A year ago, she would have taken her up on the offer, if her dad weren’t living with her in Japan.

 “Thank you… but I really like my team… and there’s these guys I have to beat.”

“Yeah you called them the generation of miracles?”

She nodded. If she had left Japan without defeating them… she’d hate herself for it. That and Seirin was such a small dedicated team, she couldn’t leave them behind, or Kuroko without a light… not after what happened to him at Teiko.

“I’d like to meet these guys… they sound interesting. Especially that phantom player you told me about… you called him your shadow?”

“Yeah Tetsuya.” She said.

“Tetsuya Tatsuya…” Alex giggled for a moment. “And is one of these “miracles” one you needed help with?”

“Yes Aomine.” She frowned. The last conversation she had with him played through her head and it only made her angrier. “He plays like a streetball layer and I cannot keep up with him.” She went on a long rant about his play style, his attitude, the way he treated Kuroko…

“So, as you can see, I have to win.” She finished folding her arms. Oh she couldn’t wait to see his face when she won.

“Mmmhmm.” Alex said smiling at her. “He sounds like a tough opponent, but I think I know someone who can help you out.”

She pulled out her phone and started texting.

* * *

 

That evening, they went outside to play one on one. It had been over two years since she had played against Alex. Back then she was a lot younger. But now she had improved and gotten a little taller and stronger… and she still lost.

“Kagami you really have improved.” Alex smiled tucking the basketball under her arm. “I remember when you could barely shoot a basket.” She stuck out her lip, dropped the basketball and then threw her arms around her. “I can’t believe how fast you grew up!”

“Hey I’m only sixteen.” She said not understanding why Alex was suddenly getting so sentimental. In both America and Japan, she was still considered a child.

“Yeah and if feels like it was only yesterday that you and Tatsuya came and asked me to help with your game.” She sighed. “But in a few years, there’s no doubt that you’ll be able to beat me.”

“A few years?” Kagami eyed her. She had only barely lost , had been traveling all day and was still jet lagged.

“Yeah, I’m getting older…” Alex smirked at her and straightened herself up.

“Just give me a day to rest and then I’ll win.” She folded her arms.

“We’ll see.” Alex smiled. “Anyway, you mentioned that you are sixteen, I should take you driving.”

“Huh?” She had somehow almost forgotten that the driving age in America was only 16. But the thought of driving a car did sound fun.

“It will only be in the parking lot because you don’t have your temporary licenses. But I taught Tatsuya how to drive, so I think I should teach you too.” Alex pulled out her keys.

Kagami raised her eye brow. “Why were you the one that taught Tatsuya?”

“His parents were going through the divorce… and they were too busy. All his friends were getting theirs, so I offered to teach him.” She shrugged. “It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done. I thought we were going to die the first time he drove on the highway.” She finished laughing. “Now come on.”

* * *

 

Driving had been fun, even if it was only in a parking lot. It was her first time behind the wheel after all. Kagami took a selfie while in park. She almost sent it to Kuroko, but didn’t want to give the team the impression that she was only having fun in LA. Instead she sent it to Momoi.

Early the next morning, Alex brought her to the courts in the park, where she played as a child. She was a little sad to see that the swing set with the big twisty slide was now gone.  

They had gotten there early because Alex knew a few of her friends would be there, and Kagami would naturally want to catch up with them. The boy had all gotten taller and the girls looked a little more mature. They talked for the hour. Nearly all over sixteen were now driving. A few were making plans to attend college or to go straight to work the next year. A few asked her about Himuro, and she had to tell them that she hadn’t really spoken to him.

But she did miss them. Talking to them, and how warm and welcoming they were made it feel like she had never left.

Then Alex came to get her and led her over to a woman a little shorter than her with boxer braids.

“Taiga, this is Dominique, she is a professional street ball player.”

“Nice to meet you.” Kagami shook her hand.

“So… tell me about this guy you’re having trouble with.” Dominique said.

She explained Aomine’s play, doing her best to describe his moves and not talk about his overall personality. Some she could only gave a vague description because she had no idea what he had done.

“Yeah he sounds like a piece of work… but I think I can help.”

First they played a one on one. Kagami didn’t score a single point against the woman. Then Dominique did her best to imitate Aomine’s moves as described by Kagami.

They worked all afternoon. When they finished, they went and got dinner, and then she played another one on one with Alex. Alex gave her a few tips and then taught her how to do her signature move, the double clutch.

By the end of the day, she was exhausted and felt that she could go home, take a shower and then collapse in bed.

But the moment she came out of the shower wearing her tee-shirt and sweats, Alex greeted her holding several DVDs.

“Let’s have a movie night!” She said. “We haven’t had one of these in years.”

She nodded. Kagami did miss movie nights.

They picked out a movie and sat on the couch in the same spots that they always did. Although it felt strange without Himuro. Kagami eyed the spot where he would sit. He’d watch anything with them, the chick flicks, sports movies,  80s and 90s movies Alex grew up with, Disney movies, and the occasional action movie.

She laughed, remembering how grown up she felt when Alex let them watch a rated R movie when they were eleven and twelve. Her only stipulation was that they close their eyes when she told them too.

Alex had even gotten some studio Ghibli movies for them to watch, and put on the Japanese dub for them. If was the first time she had seen something from Ghibli and she liked them so much that she looked into other Japanese anime. She found one about basketball from the early 90s that they watched together. And she liked anime enough that she ended up going back to college and majoring in Japanese.

The movie that was picked for that night was an action movie. Himuro would have loved it. She glanced at his spot again. It really didn’t feel right without him there.

Alex took notice.

“Yeah it is different without him here.” Alex said. “The same thing happened when you left for Japan.”

She was quiet… missing the old days.

“Taiga… I really think you should try talking to him.”

“I have.” She said frowning. “He only wants to have that rematch… and I don’t know if he thinks that winning is going to fix everything… or just make him feel better, but I kind of think he’s done with me.” He had gotten so cold towards her during that streetball game. There was a point where she couldn’t tell whether he wanted to speak to her but was unsure how, or if he really was still angry with her enough to keep his distance.

There were times when she was angry and wanted nothing to do with him… others, she just wanted him to call and talk things over. And the fact that he felt that he needed to win… and that he couldn’t handle the fact that a girl was better than him at basketball also mad her angry. If he did win, she’d never be able to play a one on one against him ever again without worrying about winning.

And suddenly she was grateful that she had Kuroko and the rest of her team, those who didn’t get upset that she could play better than them and were happy to have her as their ace.

“I don’t know about that.” Alex said.

“What do you mean?”

Alex adjusted her glasses. “That’s something that you need to talk about with him.” She said.

“Like that will ever happen.”

Alex eyed the ground.

“I am sad that this happened. You two used to be inseparable. And you two told me that you were going to get married.” Alex eyed the ring.

Kagami sighed. That really was how they introduced themselves to Alex.

* * *

 

_Flashback_

All of the basketball courts were full that day. So they were stuck watching the older kids who had all the courts. It was Himuro who noticed the tall woman playing among a group of college kids, and she did moves that neither of them had ever seen.

They walked over to the court and watched. The woman jumped and dunked the ball behind her head and landed laughing.

“She’s awesome!” Himuro commented starry eyed.

An older kid nearby frowned. “Of course Alex is, she played in the WNBA!”

Kagami grabbed the fence and stuck her nose through the links to get a closer look. The woman spun, keeping the ball from being stolen, and then jumped up and dunked again. The boys had no time to react to her.

“Wow Alex… that was amazing!” One of the guys said after the game ended. “Thank you for playing with us!”

HIimuro looked at her. “Come on let’s go!” He whispered and grabbed her hand.

They ran over to Alex as she was gathering up her things. Himuro let go of her hand and ran ahead.

 “Hey! Can you teach us!” He asked grinning.

Alex stopped packing up her things and turned around. Kagami almost took a step back because she looked a little annoyed.

“And who are you two?”

“I’m Tatsuya… and that’s Taiga…” He pointed to Kagami. “We’re going to get married when we’re older!” He grinned and grabbed the ring on the chain around his neck.

Kagami grabbed her ring and showed it off.

Alex laughed. “Well aren’t you two cute. Okay, I’ll teach you some things.” She grabbed the basketball and bounced it over to them.

* * *

 

Kagami practiced with Dominique in the mornings every day. Then she’d play one on one with Alex in the evening. Somehow, Alex still won every game. Even when Kagami thought she had her, Alex would suddenly up her game and pull out a win.

One day they went shopping. It was much easier to find girl clothes her size in America. She ended up spending way more than intended. Alex even bought Kagami a few things that she thought she would need for the Winter.

But then, Alex started talking to the cute boy at the counter and it was almost an hour by the time they left. Alex walked out showing off the number he had given her.

At the end of the week, Kagami was more confident in her skills, but still wasn’t sure if they were enough to beat Aomine. But at least it was an improvement over the inter high.

“This week went by so fast!” Alex threw her arms around her. They were at the terminal and her flight would be boarding soon.  “And when are you going to play Yosen?”

“If we win against Touou this weekend, it will be our next game.” She said. Yosen was expected to win, they had Murasakibara after all and it would be a huge shock if they lost. But if Seirin lost to Touou, she didn’t know when she would see Himuro again.

“I might just visit Japan to watch that game.” Alex said nonchalantly.

Kagami’s widened. “Really?”

“I still have to make the travel plans.” She said. “But I have about a week, right?”

Kagami nodded.

The flight called for boarding. They hugged, and Alex gave her a kiss on the cheek. They said their final goodbyes and Kagami boarded the plane.

She sat in her seat, adjusted her headphones and looked out the window. She was going to miss LA. It felt like she was leaving her home. And she was really going to miss Alex… it had been nice living with her that week.

But she had something else to accomplish. Defeat the generation of miracles… most importantly, Aomine.

The plane started to back up. Kagami pulled out her cell phone and wrote a quick text to Kuroko.

_Just got on the plane, I’ll be home later. We’re going to win!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I am rewriting Alex's character a little bit. I love Alex, it's awesome that Kagami and Himuro's mentor is an ex WNBA player... but I hate how she is written at times. Now, I don't have a problem with her being sexy or flirting. Not wearing clothes if it's appropriate. What I did have a problem with in the show, was how she did and kept doing things that made Kagami uncomfortable. 
> 
> Being walked in on... fine... but purposefully not wearing clothes even though she knows it makes Kagami uncomfrotable? Cuddling up to him in bed? Sending naughty pictures. On top of that doing this depsite the fact that he is a minor? Kissing Riko without her permission? (Riko is a minor and this also made her uncomfortable) Not cool. 
> 
> And I get it, she's a male fantasy... it just sucks that while she is a and ex WNBA player she has to be made more appealing to a male audience.
> 
> So I'm keeping her flirty, and in the spirit of the character. She's just not going to act inappropriate about teenage boys. And... I also have a romance planned for her. Because there is a character connected to Himuro that she really should have met in canon. 
> 
> Anyway, up next... time for Kagami to meet the emperor.


	29. Akashi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter, because it is just Kagami meeting Akashi.
> 
> I forgot to mention something in the notes in the last chapter. The KNB wiki says that Alex likes Japanese animation. I figured it was because she found some anime for Kagami and Himuro to watch and then ended up loving it herself... and was probably a Sailor Moon fan back in the day.

Her connecting flight had been delayed and she had to stay overnight in Hawaii. Under different circumstances that would have been fun. But the Winter Cup was starting the next day, and she’d be lucky to arrive on time for the commencement ceremony.

She texted Kuroko, giving him constant updates. Even when she was in her hotel, she’d text him, but only because she was nervous about over sleeping and missing her flight, which was to leave first thing in the morning, and she was having trouble falling asleep.

 The whole situation was a nightmare and she almost regretted spending that week in America.

But luckily, she woke up on time to her alarm and made it to her flight.

The flight was long, and she kept checking the time, counting down the hours till the commencement. Seirin was playing last that day so there was no need to worry about missing the game. But she still had to run home, drop her things off, and then get to the stadium. And who knew if there would be any other delays along the way.

When the plane landed she grabbed her stuff and took the bus home where she dropped off her stuff and grabbed her uniform. She had been texting Riko her entire trip from the airport to her apartment, and Riko arranged for her father to pick her up.

“The kids really missed you.” Kagetora laughed as she sat down next to him in the front seat. “Especially that Kuroko… you really are the one on that team that he plays the best with.” He looked over at her. “But I worked those boys hard.”

“Good.” Kagami said. There was no way that she could take on Aomine on her own, even with her training. And now that the day of their rematch had come, she was starting to feel sick with nerves. Having traveled all morning by plane did not help, and she just wanted to get to a court and warm up, work through the jet lag and the stiffness from hours of sitting.

And she was feeling the pressure to win. For Kuroko, Kiyoshi, the rest of her team… to play Himuro next week… and… Aomine himself, even if she wouldn’t admit it.

She pulled out her phone and texted Kuroko.

_I’ll be there soon._

Kagetora dropped her off near the entrance and then went to park.

There were several people from different teams outside. Kagami figured that she likely missed the commencement ceremony. She didn’t mind too much, but Riko was probably getting nervous about her absence.

As she walked to the entrance, out of the corner of her eye she spotted Kise… then Midorima… Aomine… All the generation of miracles were gathered on the steps. She had to look for a bit to find Kuroko among them.

 And then she saw Furihata, standing at the bottom, watching and shaking.

Sighing she walked over approaching slowly, wanting to get a better look at the generation of miracles all together. She had heard so much about them, how they were unstoppable... yet she had never seen them as a team. And just why were they together now? Middle school was over.

“Please leave.”

Kagami arrived just in time to hear the one with red hair say that to Furihata. But Furihata just stood there frozen in place.

Kagami walked up behind him and put her arm around his shoulder.

“Come on Furihata.” She said. “Riko is probably waiting.” Looking at all six in a group, they did look intimidating. Even Kise seemed a little terrifying. She was used to him running up and happily greeting her, but he didn’t even smile as he looked at her.

 The only exception was Kuroko, which if she hadn’t been looking for him, she never would have seen him.

Her eyes met Akashi’s who stared down at her. He wasn’t exactly what Kagami expected. She thought he would be tall, not as tall as Murasakibara, but at least around Kise and Aomine’s height. Instead, he was only a little taller than Kuroko. And despite this, he was somehow much more intimidating than all of them. The look he gave her made her want to back away from the Teiko miracles and Kagami understood why Furihata had froze. But she held her ground and only locked her eyes on to his.

“Taiga right?” He finally spoke.

She nodded, a little annoyed. Despite not caring which name people used, something about him calling her by her first name rubbed her the wrong way. It was tempting to respond by calling him by his first name, but something inside of her told her not to do that.

“You want us to leave?” She asked and started to pull Furihata with her.

“No… I would actually like you to stay.” He said his eyes boring into her. “I’m Akashi Seijuro.”

She noticed Midorima fidgeting with a pair of scissors, which she assumed was his lucky item and Kise and Aomine looking everywhere but at her. Murasakibara just stood and watched, expressionless, and Kuroko kept looking between the two, as if he were curious as to what was about to happen.

“Shintaro… can I see those scissors? This hair is bothering me.”  

Midorima passed them over. Akashi began to clip away his bangs. When he was done, he walked down the steps, stopping at the one that would still allow his face to be above hers. And he looked her over.

She did her best not to squirm. There really was something terrifying about this guy and she was especially nervous now that he was holding a pair of scissors.

“You’ve have no more trouble with Kirisaki Daichi?” He asked. Kise and Midorima suddenly looked over and even Aomine perked up at hearing them brought up.

“Um… no… I haven’t heard or seen them since the game.” She said remembering that he was the reason that was so. “And thank you?”

“It’s my pleasure. We can’t have someone like them interrupting the results of this competition.”

He was still looking at her as if studying her. Kagami wasn’t sure if he was expecting her to say something more and the whole thing was becoming awkward. So much that she broke eye contact, and then nearly kicked herself for it, feeling as if she had lost some sort of competition.

“I hope I’ll play against you in the finals.” Akashi said giving a strange, almost fake smile. He then turned and walked back up the steps.

“Um… me too?”  She said unsure of what to make of any of what he had said. She eyed Kise, Midorima who looked just as confused as her. But Kuroko, he just had his same unreadable expression. She grabbed Furihata and walked off with him.

* * *

 

Midorima kept his eyes on Akashi as Kagami left. There was something… odd… about the way he had spoken to her. Although, it had gone better than he had thought it would. He didn’t force her to her to lower her head, and he had been surprisingly polite. But there was still something he didn’t like about their brief exchange. And just… why was he hoping to play her in the finals? Akashi wouldn’t care who his opponent was, but was he hoping that Seirin would take second place?

He had heard about the Kirisaki Daichi game. The details angered him to the point that he wanted to confront Hanamiya… but Takao and the rest of his team convinced him not to. He wanted to talk to Kagami about it, but at the same time, wasn’t sure how or if she would want it brought up.

But this was the first that he had heard that Akashi stepped up and did something about it. He was relieved that Akashi had stopped Kirisaki Daichi from hurting Kagami further… but he still had to wonder why he would care enough to do so.

“This is all I wanted.” Akashi said and started to walk away.

“Hey wait a minute!” Aomine yelled. “You called us here for that.”

Akashi stopped and turned around. “I saw what I needed to see on everyone’s faces. None of you seemed to have forgotten our promise.” He started to walk away again. “Next time we meet, we’ll be opponents on the court.”

Still bothered by his interaction with Kagami, Midorima followed him, stopping him half way to the stadium.

“Akashi… what was that all about?”

Akashi turned around quickly and glared at him. Midorima took a step back.

“I just wanted to see my former teammates, that is all.”

“No, I mean with Kagami.”

“I simply wanted to meet her.” Akashi said nonchalantly.

“Why?” There was no way Akashi saw her as a threat. To him, no one was. But for some reason he had taken an interest in her.

“Shintaro, I can’t play basketball forever… I’ll need a successor.”

He blinked and was almost unsure if he had heard him right. “You can’t mean-“ He couldn’t finish and his mouth hung open.

Akashi nodded. “I’ll watch and see how she does these next three years and then have my father talk to hers… but right now, as far as high school basketball goes, she is likely the best girl in the country…” He gave Midorima a cold glare. “After all, you and Ryouta lost to her.”

He eyed the ground, not wanting to tell him that it was a team effort between her and Kuroko. That could only come off as insulting towards her. and Shutoku was only able to tie Seirin after he started working with his team.

But it still stung to hear that from him.

Akashi waited for him to speak further, but Midorima didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t end up turning into a huge argument.

“If I have to be in an arranged marriage, I’d rather it be with someone that enjoys basketball.” For about a second, his eyes changed, and it was almost like the old Akashi was back. But it was gone almost as soon as it arrived and he was back to being the emperor as he viewed himself.

“Now, I need to go back to my team.” Akashi turned and once again walked away.

Midorima watched. He didn’t know anything about Kagami’s family or if her father would ever want to marry her off. At first it had infuriated him that Akashi seemed to only want Kagami for a “successor.” But then his last statement made Midorima think otherwise.

If he were the old Akashi, this wouldn’t bother him as much. But… he didn’t want Kagami with this one. He was too cold and dominating and… the thought of her involved with him terrified Midorima... and hurt.

He sighed. If one good thing came out of that conversation, it was that he was starting to understand why he loved her. She shared his love for the game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I debated whether or not this was going into crack fic territory.
> 
> Alright, I tried to write this so that Akashi doesn't come off extremely creepy, but no matter how I did it, he was always going to come off a little bit. And I don't want his thinking about an arranged marriage with Kagami to raise the stakes of the winter cup or to bring in a forced marriage storyline to this fic. Which is why it's only an idea of his right now and not something that he's absolutely going to do. This plot point is ultimately going to go nowhere once he goes back to oreshi anyway. It was more to show how Bokushi would rationalize any feelings he had after hearing about Kagami. I figured he'd be like... hmm we could have a baby together and it would one day dominate the game. I think some of this would be true to the real Akashi and how he may feel towards Kagami. I think he would like someone who shared his love of basketball... and he would think that he could make an awesome kid with her (actually all the GOM would think that about themselves too)
> 
> And as you'll notice I took out the infamous scissors attack. If Akakaga is ever going to be a possibly... he can't assault her. It also wouldn't make sense after he threatened Hanamiya to protect her and... well the rest of the GOM would not react lightly to that. Especially after how they were when they watched the Kirisaki Daichi game. (Seriously, in Canon why was Kise of all people not freaked out! He was horrified watching the Kirisaki Daichi game the week before!)
> 
> And her relationship with oreshi will be very different, but we won't see that for a long while. Like if someone on the GOM (likely Aomine) suggested that they had a competition for Kagami (basketball we'll say) Bokushi will play ruthlessly to win. Oreshi... he'd tell them no they're not doing that and if Kagami does choose any of them, that they'll be happy for her and whoever it is.
> 
> This also highlights the major difference between canon and Fem Kagami. Canon Kagami is just another guy that wants to be the best in Japan. As far as most people are concerned, he's nothing special until towards the end of the Winter Cup. Fem Kagami, is the best high school girl in the country and the fact that she can keep up with the boys is going to make her stick out. Far more people are going to notice her very early on.
> 
> So for the final GOM:
> 
> Kagami x Akashi
> 
> Their biggest shipper: Rakuzan's team, specifically Mibuchi. He's going to love Kagami.
> 
> When does it happen: After high school. Akashi would somehow find a way to convince his dad that getting into an arranged marriage with her was his idea. Right now he's more focused on school and team for anything serious... although a long distance relationship my be appealing. 
> 
> Why do I like them: Again, I haven't written oreshi wtih her yet, so this one is acutally harder because I don't have a feel for them together. But these two do actually have a lot in common. Neither have a mom, and both their dad's suck. Only one is overbearing and one is neglectful, so they can kind of get each other in that aspect.. They're both also rich, although I don't think Kagami's family's wealth compares to Akashi's. Canon Kagami x Akashi is the rarest Kagami x GOM pairing... but there really is a lot to work with this OTP. Other than that, again, I love OTPs where the girl is taller than the guy. And I totally love the idea of Akashi shamelessly sitting in her lap while they make out. In some aspects, they remind me of Zaheer and P'Li from Legend of Korra. Height difference aside, he's the calm rational on (as Oreshi) and she's the bigger tougher girlfriend... just without all the anarchy.
> 
> If not each other: I am a huge Akafuri shipper... in fact I have so many WIPs of them I need to get around to finishing. Also, Akakuro. I love love that ship. I've written two Akakuro fics actually. (And now that I think about it, and OT3 between Akashi, Kagami, and Kuroko, could be rather amusing.)
> 
> Next is Touou, it may take me a bit longer to write that chapter because it is a very important one.


	30. Seirin vs Touou: Winter Cup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go... Seirin vs Touou rematch.

Kagami sat in the locker room stretching. Two games had already been played and she hadn’t watched either of them. After her flight that morning, there was no way that she could bring herself to sit, or even stand still in a crowded stadium. So most of her day was spent walking around outside, getting a decent meal, and trying to shake off jet lag. Luckily, she had slept most of her flight home.

Kuroko walked into the locker room.

“Yosen won.”

She nodded, figuring that would happen. They had both Himuro and one of the generation of miracles, Murasakibara. All teams with one of the generation of miracles was expected to win the first round. And the first real battle between them was to take place next week. People were already anticipating the game between Yosen and Touou.

Despite having Kuroko, who was not considered part of the generation of miracles by those outside of Teiko, Seirin was not expected to win. Not after their loss in the inter high. And that made the upcoming game more stressful. The crowd was already against them, with the exception of the few that preferred the underdog.

Looking at the bracket, if they did win, Yosen was next week, and then Kaijo, with the finals being between Rakuzan or Shutoku. She had no idea who would win that game as she didn’t know much about Akashi.

“So your middle school captain.” Kagami spoke, still unsure of what to make of the brief meeting with him. He seemed normal and polite… but there was something off about him. And it was his eyes… no matter how friendly he made himself out to be, those eyes were intimidating. She thought she could lose her balance just staring into them.

“Akashi?”

“Yeah…. Who’s going to win the semifinal….  Him or Midorima? Or do you even kno-”

“Rakuzan.” Kuroko said shortly.

* * *

 

Time seemed to drag as she waited for their game to begin. Riko walked in, gave her a hug, and then asked if she was ready for the game, if she had eaten, and if she wasn’t too exhausted. Kagami said that everything would be fine and that she wasn’t worried. Which was a little bit of a lie.

The rest of the team arrived, and she showed a few pictures she had taken on her cell phone, including the picture of her behind the wheel. And she was a little embarrassed that Alex was in none of them. But it wasn’t like she took that many.

The last hour crawled by and finally, it time for Seirin to go out and warm up. Seirin was out on the court first. As they stepped onto the court, the cheering got very loud. Touou was right behind them. They were all standing tall and confident, as if they had already won the game.

They walked passed Seirin, uncomfortably close, likely Imayoshi’s doing. And they all faced forward, none of them looking at Seirin, except for Aomine who stopped right next to Kagami.

“You look a little stronger.” He said.

“Yeah… and?” she glared at him. Why he felt the need to stop and talk to her she had no idea. Even Wakamatsu was a little upset. He stopped near the half court line and frowned at Aomine.

He laughed. “Satsuki showed me that picture of you in the car, I know you’ve been training in America all week, but do you really think that will be good enough.”

Before she could respond, Kuroko walked over, stopping next to her.

“Tetsu?”

Kuroko just looked at him as if trying to stare him down. But then spoke. “This time we will win.”

“Heh, don’t be so confident.” Aomine said dismissively. “But if you really think that, we’ll settle it today.”

Kagami didn’t say anything, just stared him in the eye, knowing that it was a very weak attempt to intimidate him. This was the guy that she had to beat… one of the best basketball players she had ever met. And… just why did he have to be such an asshole? He wouldn’t be all that bad if it weren’t for his past with Kuroko.

After warm ups, the team went back to the locker room. Riko stood in front of them all.

“Alright, this is our first game of the Winter Cup, and unfortunately it has to be against Touou. They’re probably not going to think much of us… so we should go all out at the beginning and establish a lead. But there is a chance that they could see us as a threat, so be on guard for that too.”

And then they were back to the court for the start of the game.

They stood, tense, waiting for the tip off. She could feel Aomine’s eyes on her, but she refused to look at him. Instead, Sakurai was right across from her, and she stared right at him until he broke eye contact and looked at the ground. Maybe it wasn’t fair to choose him as her target.

The ref tossed up the ball. Kiyoshi and Wakamatsu jumped and reached for it. Kiyoshi got to it first and hit it right to Izuki.

He ran to their basket… but Touou ran right after him at full force.

Izuki tried to pass to Hyuga, but Imayoshi reached and hit the ball to Sakurai.

“Don’t think that we’re going to look down on you.” Imayoshi said grinning.

Sakurai was already near the three point line. Kiyoshi ran to guard, but he shot too fast. His form was odd and then Kagami noticed Aomine by the basket. It was a pass. She ran to stop it, but before she could jump Aomine had already scored.

Aomine turned to look at her. “You were slow”

She looked away, angry that she had been caught off guard so early in the game. But she couldn’t dwell on it. It was time to switch to plan B.

Her place was now near Seirin’s basket.

Izuki passed to Kuroko, and he got ready for one of his ignite passes, Aomine was right in front of him, but, this one would be different.

“Tetsu what are you doing?” he rolled his eyes. “You know this won’t-“

Kuroko did his pass, this one much faster than any he had ever done in a previous game. Aomine reached out to catch it, but the ball knocked his hand back.

Kiyoshi caught it and jumped to dunk, but Wakamatsu was right behind him.

Kagami stood nearby waiting for a pass, but Kiyoshi did something that she had never seen. It looked like he had passed the ball… to himself and then dunked. The score was now tied.

* * *

 

Riko watched, relieved that Aomine couldn’t catch Kuroko’s improved ignite pass, ignite pass kai, and that Kiyoshi’s right of postponement had gotten Seirin their first points.

She focused on Kagami. Her flight’s delay had been one of the worst things that could have happened to her regarding this game, and it made Riko nervous at how easily Aomine had scored those first points. But she seemed okay now.

The ball was passed to her and Aomine went to mark her, but stood in a way that seemed to be challenging her to a one on one. No matter how hard Kagami practiced the previous week, Riko didn’t think she was ready for this with Aomine.

_Kagami… please don’t._

She gripped the bottom of her skirt. If Kagami lost this one on one as Seirin’s ace, this could decide the game right there. And Riko knew how hard it was for her to decline a challenge.

But Kagami passed the ball back to Izuki and ran by Aomine.

Riko breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

 

What Akashi had said earlier, was still on Midorima’s mind, even as he watched the game. How long his former captain had felt that way, Midorima couldn’t even begin to guess. The last time they had really spoke was in middle school and Kagami hadn’t come into the picture until the beginning of this school year. But Akashi would have heard of her long before the Winter Cup. Actually, she would have gotten his attention around the time Touou lost to Seirin.

“Kagami really has changed.” Takao said bringing Midorima out of his thoughts.

Midorima nodded. She wasn’t as reckless as she once was. That last play proved it. Months ago, Kagami would have gone right for that one on one… and lost.

“Who do you think will win?” Takao asked.

He had to think about this one. Common sense told him Touou. Kagami and Aomine had similar play styles and Aomine was still better overall, as far as Midorima could tell. But Seirin had improved. He saw that with the last game Shutoku played against them, and even since them… they had improved even more. Hyuga and Kiyoshi were doing things he had never seen them do before and even Kuroko learned a new skill.

He still thought Touou had the upper hand… but he wasn’t one hundred percent certain they would win.

* * *

 

Himuro’s phone vibrated. He looked at the screen and saw that he had a text… from Alex.

_I’ll be arriving in Japan tonight! Please come visit!_

He sighed. If he were to visit Alex, Kagami would for sure be there. The three of them hadn’t all been together in over two years, and he knew Alex had wanted that for a while.

He found Kagami on the court and watched her. She was marking Aomine.

“So that was Teiko’s ace?” He spoke to Murasakibara. The two were in the very back, far away from their teammates. The last thing he wanted was them asking about his past relationship with Kagami. He had already made the mistake of telling them about her… before he knew that she was on the boys team and could face her in a game.

Murasakibara nodded and ate another chip.

“Do you think you could beat him?”

Murasakibara frowned and then glared at him. “Mine-chin can’t score against me.” He stuffed another chip in his mouth.

“Then I’ll take that as a yes.” Himuro laughed quietly. Murasakibara… was interesting, unlike anyone he had ever met. And that wasn’t even mentioning his height. The guy said that he hated basketball, but if you ever implied that he would lose he would be out on that court and putting up his best game.

If Touou won, they would be Yosen’s next opponent and he wouldn’t face Kagami for at least another year.

He thought more about this. Winning the Winter Cup would be a big deal… and maybe enough. But thinking about their likely last opponent… they had lost to Touou in the inter high. However, neither team had Aomine or Murasakibara... and Murasakibara was confident that he could win. Then he’d just have to beat the other miracles and….

Himuro shook his head. This had to be settled with Kagami and only her. If Seirin didn’t win this game, he’d just challenge her to a one on one in streetball in the spring.

* * *

 

The first quarter ended with a tie. Hyuga shot a three in the last few seconds. The crowd seemed confused. Touou was expected to destroy Seirin, yet… that wasn’t happening.

Kagami sat, drinking water. She’d steal quick glances at Touou’s bench. Although one time, Imayoshi was already looking her way and they made eye contact.

Kuroko was next to her, staring forward blankly.

“Are you going to sit out the second quarter?” She asked. He had played hard the first quarter, so much that his misdirection had to be becoming less effective.

“No… I want to play.”

“Kuroko, are you sure that is a good idea?” Kiyoshi asked, pulling the towel off from around his shoulders.

“It will be fine… we’re tied right now…. I want to help us establish a lead.”

Riko looked as though she didn’t like the idea, then she sighed. “Alright, we’ll put you in the second quarter.”

They were back out onto the court. Seirin had the ball first and it was passed to Kuroko. He was met by Aomine. Hyuga wasn’t far away ready to receive the pass. But Kuroko stood, waiting for the right time to move.

Knowing what he was going to do, Kagami ran behind him in place, intending to get Aomine’s attention. But then she noticed that his eyes were closed.

Kuroko tried to run by… but Aomine grabbed the ball out of his hand. He gave Kuroko a quick glare and then ran down the court. Kagami ran after him. Aomine was met by Kiyoshi under the hoop. But Aomine jumped up, spun around him and then dunked.

Kagami blinked… what he had done didn’t even seem possible. And the crowd seemed to think so as well as they all gasped.

Aomine walked back passing Kuroko.

“Sorry, Tetsu, it’s not going to work.”

Kuroko just stood and stared forward, mortified. Kagami ran over.

“Come on, you’ll get him next time.” She patted Kuroko on the shoulder. And she wished she had stayed near him longer.

The ball was given back to Kuroko almost immediately and she wasn’t even near the end of the court to receive it when he started up his ignite pass kai.

“Tetsuya wait!” She said running hoping to get near the basket in time.

But he had already released it. And she didn’t have to worry about catching it because Aomine did. He stuck out his hand and caught it as if it were a regular ignite pass.

“Tetsu did you think that would work on me twice?” Aomine stared down at him. He started to walk but said one more thing. “It’s useless.”

Kuroko stood there, unable to move or say anything. Even as Aomine took the ball back to their basket.

Kagami ran, faster than she ever had. He got past Izuki’s attempt at defense and when to shoot. Kagami caught up and jumped to block but he threw the ball behind up over his shoulder and it went into the basket. There was nothing she could have done to stop it.

 And then he turned and smirked at her.

It took everything she had to stop herself from stomping her foot on the ground. This guy was so…. frustrating.

A time out was called for Seirin.

Kuroko was still standing where Aomine had last left him. Kagami ran over and put her arm around him.

“Come on.” She said guiding him to the bench. Aomine was pissing her off more and more.

Kuroko sat down and threw his towel over his head and hunched over trembling. Kagami put her hands on his shoulders and then got down to his level.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay.” She knew how important this game was to him… and to see both his new skills stopped so easily by Aomine. “And nothing that you did was useless.” Kuroko looked up at her, his eyes welling up. She almost looked away, it was so painful to watch.

 She glared at Aomine, who sat on the bench drinking. “Don’t worry I’ll take care of him.”

She gave Kuroko a quick pat on the shoulder as the time out ended. Kuroko would be sitting out for the rest of the second quarter.

Kagami could feel a rush of energy run through her as she walked back out on the court. Seirin needed points, and she was going to score… all she had to do was avoid Aomine and get passed everyone else on Touou’s team. She spotted Sakurai.

“Izuki give me the ball.” She said walking past him.

“Um… okay…” Izuki hesitated as he looked at her.

“Kagami are you okay-“ Kiyoshi started.

“I’m fine! Just get the ball to me.”

Kiyoshi looked to Hyuga.

“Just do it!” He said.

When the ball went back into play, Izuki passed to her. And then she ran to the area where Sakurai was guarding. At full force. He got ready to guard, but hesitated

She stopped in front of him at the three point line. He was way to small to block her. But Wakamatsu was near by and ran to help. And the look she gave him nearly made him take a step back.

She jumped to shoot and he followed, but he couldn’t jump anywhere near her height.

“So high!” He said falling long before she did.

Once the ball was out of her hands, she watched, hoping that it would go in. And it did.

“What’s with her!” Sousa yelled.

“Don’t worry, leave her to me.” Aomine said.

She got the ball again and ran to the basket with the same intensity as before. Wakamatsu must have anticipated that she’d run towards Sakurai again because he stepped over in front of him, which only let open a clear path for her.

She ran straight to the basket and jumped to score ready to slam the ball into the net. But Aomine was right behind her and he knocked the ball out of her hand and it rolled out of bounds.

“I kind of like the way that you’re playing right now.” He grinned. “Now come on, entertain me.”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. She wasn’t here to entertain him she was here to win. And he was the reason her play had gotten more aggressive.

Aomine laughed. “You said you were going to win. Now show me. This will be fun.”

She refused to say anything, and instead, ran by him to where Izuki was throwing the ball back into play. He ran after her. One look back told her he was annoyed that she hadn’t responded to him.

* * *

 

Kise watched, although he was more interested in whatever it was that Aomine had said to Kagami. To him, it looked like a guy trying to talk to his pissed off girlfriend, and he wasn’t sure if that amused or annoyed him.

He came to the conclusion that he should have nothing to worry about. Kagami had made it clear months ago that she didn’t like Aomine.

“I really hope that we’ll play Seirin in the quarter finals.” Kasamatsu said his eyes fixed on the court. “But I don’t know if they can beat Touou.”

Kise agreed. Seirin had already lost to them and he knew how tough of an opponent Aomine could be. Even at their game during the inter high, Kise knew he wasn’t playing at his full strength… which annoyed him.

“I just want to play Kagami again.” Moriyama said. “Do you think she’d go out with me if I ask?”

Kasamatsu turned sharply towards him. “NO! You’re not going to sleep with the enemy! And don’t piss off Seirin by asking her!”

“Um…” Kise started to laugh quietly.

“I know you already asked her on a date.” Kasamatsu glared at him. “And after you told her she should join the girls team… I’m surprised she doesn’t hate you!”

“But… she turned me down.” He said hoping that would calm down his captain. Although the way he put it to Moriyama, sleeping with the enemy, made going out with her all the more appealing.

“Yeah… and that was the first time that ever happened to you right?” Kasamatsu raised his eyebrow at him.

Kasamatsu was right, but Kise chose not to say anything.

Kasamatsu sighed. “I wish you two just fuck already and then you can stop pining for her.”

 “I did tell her I would ask her out after we beat Seirin.” He said shrugging.

“Then you better hope Seirin wins this game.”

Kise watched as Aomine and Kagami marked each other. Aomine had the ball and he expected him to do one of his tricks and would leave Kagami staring at him confused of as to what had happened. But as Aomine tried to run past her, Kagami followed his tricky movements… and she was keeping up with him, almost as if she were his equal. But then Aomine went to do his formless shot. Kise was sure he’d score the two points But… Kagami blocked it. The ball hit the ground and rolled away.

Kise blinked. He had never seen anyone block that shot. If Kagami really had gotten better… no if Seirin won this game… they really would be a tough opponent in the semifinals.

Aomine looked at her as if unsure of how to react. But she gave him little attention and walked away.

* * *

 

Kagami now had the ball and Aomine was behind her trying to steal. It was the first time she had ever play this competently with him and there was a rush to it all.

 He wasn’t at all shy about getting close to her and there were times that they were almost touching. Or Aomine would reach around her to steal the ball and his arm would brush up against hers. But it didn’t bother her, it was just a part of the game. And she was not going to let him steal.

Kagami made it to the three-point line and jumped to shoot another three. Aomine jumped to block, but like Wakamatsu, he couldn’t jump high enough. The ball bounced off the rim, but Kiyoshi got the rebound and scored.

Kagami wiped sweat off her forehead and looked at him, expecting him to upset. But instead, he was smiling. Then the buzzer went off.

* * *

 

Momoi followed the team to the locker room. Aomine was not with them. He said he needed to go outside to where it was cold. The others had thought that he needed to step out because Kagami had blocked one of his shorts and soon after scored against him, or set up a shot that led to points. But Momoi knew that wasn’t it. That look he gave Kagami was the first she had seen from him in hears. Momoi would have to thank her later.

“Seriously what is with Kagami!” Sousa said sitting down. “It’s like she’s out to murder someone!”

Momoi knew what he meant. It was mesmerizing to watch Kagami play… all that energy and that anger in her eyes… the boys were even a little scared of her. It was… hot… She felt herself blushing.

“It’s probably just her time of the month.” Imayoshi smirked and put a towel around his neck.

Wakamatsu nearly gagged. “Ew! Why would you say that!”. He looked at his lemon slice and decided not to take a bite.

“Imayoshi!” Momoi yelled. She knew he was only saying it to gross out the team, but she still didn’t like it. “That’s not it!”

“How would you know? Are you keeping track of her cycle in your notebook?” He laughed.

“No! Girls can get mad when they’re not on their periods!” Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of it.

“If I bump into her, will it get on me?” Sakurai shook.

“No! Why would it! Don’t you boys know anything!” Momoi yelled giving him a look.

“I’m sorry!”

She was not about to explain pads and tampons and whatever. She was grateful that Aomine wasn’t in the locker room. Who knows if that conversation would affect his play.

 “Can we please stop talking about this.” Wakamatsu buried his face in her hands.

Momoi glanced over at the coach and his face seemed to agree with Wakamatsu.

“But what are we going to do about Kagami?” Wakamatsu asked. “She’s really gotten better.”

“Maybe she’ll run into our locker room.” Imayoshi grinned.

“And why would she do that?”

“To find a place for Kuroko to lay down.” He laughed.

“You’re the captain! Be serious for a moment!” Wakamatsu yelled.

“Don’t’ worry, we’re just going to leave her to Aomine.” Imayoshi said. “He’s the only one who can handle her now.”

And it was true. Kagami really had improved and could now keep up with Aomine. However, Momoi knew that Aomine wasn’t playing at his full strength, and if Touou were to be losing… he’d get to a whole new level. And she wasn’t sure if Kagami could handle that.

* * *

 

Aomine paced around outside, thinking about the game. It was the first time in a long time that he had played like that against anyone. It was like middle school… when the basketball was fun. And now he wanted half time to be over so that he could play against her again.

And all that improvement in just one week. He had to know who she was training with in America.

But… he wasn’t playing at one hundred percent yet. And if it were needed, he wasn’t sure if he could bring that out against her. The play would get faster and rougher and he wasn’t sure if he should do that to a girl.

But then he remembered her last game, how she could take all those hits from Kirisaki for four quarters and remain standing at the end. Yeah, she could handle his full strength just fine.

* * *

 

Kagami chewed on a lemon slice made by Mitobe, needing it to keep her energy up after that last quarter. That type of play was best saved for the end, but Aomine had just pissed her off too much.

“Kagami that was amazing.” Izuki commented. “You were really keeping up with Aomine!”

She nodded and took a drink of water. Second quarter had gone well, but it had taken most of her energy. The next half was the most crutial.

She put her hand on Kuroko’s shoulder. “You ready?” She would really need him if they were going to win.

He nodded.

“Alright let’s win.”

When halftime ended, they walked back out to the court with Kuroko following. Touou seemed especially surprised that he was going to play. Aomine in particular gave him a look. But Kagami stood next to Kuroko and returned it.

* * *

 

As third quarter started, Himuro watched, anticipating Kagami’s play. He couldn’t believe what he had witnessed from her in the second quarter, the way she moved and how fast she was, he had never seen her play like that. And this was against the ace of the generation of miracles. The thought of playing against her now made him nervous.

Even Murasakibara seemed impressed as he continued to eat his snacks. Himuro had never seen him so alert during a game.

Hyuga got the ball and scored a three. For the first time, Seirin was ahead of Touou in points. This game was expected to be one sided in Touou’s favor. When he had initially heard that Seirin was up against them first, he had been angry, thinking that he would not get to play Kagami in the Winter Cup. But Seirin just might pull an upset.

Aomine got the ball and he ran right past Kagami and it looked as if he had gotten faster. He charged towards Kiyoshi, who hesitated. But Kuroko went to guard him.

Himuro shook his head. There was no way that little guy could stop him. He knew bits and pieces of his and Aomine’s relationship in middle school, how they were close friends and Kuroko had been his shadow, but then they had a fallout in the second year.

Murasakibara had called him the phantom sixth man of the generation of miracles, and Himuro knew his skill wasn’t in guarding.

As Aomine was about to jump and score, his arm hit Kuroko in the head knocking him down and a foul was called.

“What just happened?” Himuro turned to Murasakibara. It seemed almost too perfect the way Aomine ran into him.

“Kuro-chin knows Aomine’s play better than anyone, he did that on purpose.”

He nodded, understanding. It was the only way Kuroko could have stopped him.

But when the next play started, the creepy glasses guy was now marking Kuroko. And he wasn’t losing track of him.

* * *

 

Momoi held her notebook and looked down at the ground. She knew how to stop Kuroko, and she hated that the team had to use it. But not telling would be an insult to him.

The way to not lose track of Kuroko… was to not look at him. And to find him, just look where his team was looking. Imayoshi was perfect for that job.

As the quarter continued, no one could pass to him and later Hyuga had this three blocked by Wakamatsu. This could be how Seirin loses the game. However, she was missing some data.

She eyed Kagami. There was no way for Momoi to find out what kind of training she received in America that past week. She texted Kagami everyday, but Kagami wouldn’t give her any information. And she knew of no one in Las Angeles connected to her that she could contact. All that was in her notes was driving lessons, which was completely useless for the game, and that she may be working with pros. If she had any tricks to pull during this game, Momoi wouldn’t know of them.

She thought that as long as Aomine was marking her  that it would be okay. But after that last quarter she wasn’t so sure anymore. However, one thing was for certain. She was strongest when coordinating with Kuroko, so stopping him should be enough.

* * *

 

Kagami was breathing heavily. Her play in the second quarter had really worn her down and Touou as a whole seemed to have gotten stronger. Which meant that they weren’t playing at their full strength in the first half.

Aomine approached her, almost in a friendly manner. She put up her guard, bracing herself for what ever he was about to say.

“Hey Kagami… why don’t we go again. Just you and me.”

“Huh?”

It was like he forgot that they were in the middle of a critical game. Or was confident that Touou was going to win. Either way it pissed her off.

The ball was passed and Aomine caught it. He stood in front of her and gave her a look, challenging her. And then he ran right by her, much faster than before. She ran after him. He jumped to score and she tried to block, but just before she reached the ball he turned a whole three sixty and dunked.

She landed and stared at him…

He looked back at her, as if he was intending to show off and was expecting a compliment.

And… what he had done was pretty admirable.

Realizing what was on her mind, she shook her head, angry for ever thinking that, especially when she was supposed to win this game.

* * *

 

Touou kept scoring, increasing the point gap, and with Kuroko’s misdirection not working, Seirin could be done. But, Riko sat, keeping calm. There was one more thing they could try, something that would work only once. And it was about time to bring it out.

Kuroko seemed to think so too. She could tell by the way he was standing and the look he gave Izuki.

Izuki had the ball and he was being marked by Sousa. Riko gripped the bottom of her skirt, hoping that it would work. And then, Izuki ran right by Sousa. It took Sousa a whole second to realize what had happened.

Riko and the others on the bench cheered loudly. Izuki passed to Hyuga who shot a three.

And it kept happening. Kiyoshi did the vanishing drive with Wakamatsu, Hyuga with Sakurai. Touou could only stand confused, wondering what was happening. And Seirin was now scoring points, closing the gap. Once, Kagami had the ball and used a vanishing drive against Aomine and scored. There was now a less than ten-point difference between the teams.

But as the quarter was ending. Imayoshi got the ball and shot, scoring one final three, putting the teams back at a twelve-point difference.

The team came back to the bench. Kuroko was breathing heavily. Kagami handed him water as he sat down.

Kagami patted her face with a towel. Riko knew she was exhausted but hadn’t hit her limit yet. It was tempting to keep her out for the first minute of the fourth quarter but doing so could be detrimental for the team. And Kuroko… he was at his limit.

“Let me stop Aomine.”

“Huh?” Kagami eyed him.

“I think I know how to.”

Riko was about to protest, but Kagami spoke first.

“Alright.” She simply said.

She’d keep him in, at least for a little bit. If whatever he was planning didn’t work, she’d pull him out.

The fourth quarter began. Kagami was marking Aomine. Riko couldn’t help but notice the way they were looking at each other. Aomine seemed more interested in with playing with Kagami than the actual game… and this was somehow no hinderance to Touou. Kagami just looked annoyed with him… it had been this way since Kagami had gone in what Riko called her rage mode in the second quarter.

As time passed, the point gap remained the same. Seirin would score, and then Touou. If they wanted any chance at winning, they would need to stop Touou… Riko looked at the ground, hating the thought that this could be Kiyoshi’s last game.

Then, Kiyoshi, Kuroko, and Kagami all triple teamed Aomine. She had a feeling that not even all three could stop him.

Aomine went to score, almost dismissing the three of them, but then, for a moment, he hesitated. Kagami jumped to block. He avoided her steal and shot the ball… only It was sloppy. It hit the back board and bounced off. And then Riko noticed where Kuroko had been.

She blinked. Kuroko’s overflow was still in effect.

* * *

 

Takao glanced over at Midorima, who was staring intently at the game, and impressed by the latest play. There wasn’t much time left but Seirin could still pull off a win.

Earlier, during the second quarter, Midorima had described Kagami as having animal instincts, which is where her earlier aggression came from. He could see what he meant. But then later it was all ruined for him when Midorima said that Aomine had the same animal instincts, and he just didn’t have the heart to tell Midorima how that came off, when that term was applied to both.

Now he couldn’t watch the two play a one on one against each other without laughing a little. In fact, if he hadn’t known that Kagami disliked Aomine, he’d have thought that that the two would go off to the bedroom after the game.

Midorima had commented that Aomine looked as though he were having fun marking Kagami… but he couldn’t tell what was up with his former teammate.

There was now a six-point difference. Hyuga went to shoot but was fouled at the three-point line by Wakamatsu.

And there was no way he would miss those free throws.

* * *

 

After these free throws, they would only need one more three to be tied with Touou. All the players on Touou didn’t seem as confident as they once were as they gathered around the free throw line. Kagami went to stand among the other players. But then she noticed that Aomine wasn’t in his usual spot which had her concerned.

“Thank you Tetsu.” He said with no emotion in his voice.

Kagami looked back at him, and noticed something odd about his eyes. They were blank and they nearly sent shivers up her spine. For a moment she wondered if he was just giving up… but that wasn’t something Aomine would do. Especially not while Touou was still in the lead.

Hyuga made his three free throws. But once the ball was thrown back into play, Aomine ran and caught a pass that was meant for Imayoshi. Kagami ran to mark him, but he effortlessly maneuvered around her and then around Kiyoshi, all the way to Touou’s basket, and scored.

 She blinked, unable to follow any of what he had just done. His speed had somehow greatly increased and he barely seemed to be thinking about what he was doing.

 He stole again, this time a ball that was meant to go to Izuki. No one even noticed he was nearby. Kagami ran to guard him again, but it was useless. He practically ran circles around her and she nearly lost balance trying to keep up. And he scored again. Kagami wasn’t even sure if he was aware that she was the one marking him.

And she had a feeling that she knew what was happening. She had heard of this, but had never actually seen it. He had to be in the zone. And one look from Imayoshi, to see him grinning, told her that this was the case.

She looked around at the rest of her team. Hyuga and Izuki seemed lost, Kuroko was distressed and Kiyoshi just looked like he was trying to figure out what to do. It was doubtful that all five of them could stop him.

She stood, waiting for the ball to be thrown back into play, feeling numb. They were so close to making a turnover, but now it looked like Seirin was done right. Aomine was unstoppable and in the last minutes, the point gap only widening in Touou’s favor.

This was the game that she was supposed to win for Kuroko. It meant everything for him and all to help his middle school friend, who in Kagami’s opinion, didn’t deserve it. Then there was Kiyoshi… this would be his last tame. And all those statements that had declared that she had reached her limit seemed to becoming true… that she could never be as good as the top male athletes… her training in America was feeling worthless… and the girls on the other teams that wanted to watch her win…

She nearly let out a yell of frustration and then looked at her team again. She couldn’t let them lose. There had to be a way to stop Aomine. The ball was thrown back into play and Aomine caught it. Kagami ran after him, and suddenly all thoughts that had nothing to do with the game were blocked out.

* * *

 

He caught the ball and was off to score another point for Touou. It felt like it had been forever since he had entered the zone… and of all people Kagami was the reason. He thought maybe he’d need it for Murasakibara or Akashi… but her? Not even Kise forced him to enter. But it didn’t matter. He was now playing at one hundred percent and Touou was guaranteed to win.

He was about at the three-point line, ready to score… but a hand reached and hit the ball out of his hand and out of bounds.

He stared at it for a moment. That shouldn’t have happened. He turned and saw Kagami right behind him, and one look into her eyes told him all that he needed to know. His lips curled up.

“I was wrong about you Kagami… you are the best!” He was ready for the next play. It was going to be the first time he played against someone else in the zone. And her strength may just match his.

Kagami only stared back at him. Her bangs were wet with sweat and she was breathing much slower. Imayoshi or Wakamatsu may have said something, but at that moment, they were just noise in the background.

The ball was thrown back in to him. He dribbled only seeing her. And as he moved towards the net she remained in front of him guarding, following every one of his motions. When he thought he had an open shot, she jumped up and caught it.

She started for Seirin’s net… and was fast. She tried to fake left to run by him, but he followed her. And they maneuvered around each other, so close, he could practically feel her breath on him.

And then she unexpectedly spun away from him. He still tried to follow and even reach for the ball, but his feet got twisted and he fell. His palms stung once they hit the ground and his heart was pounding as he tried to figure out what had just happened.

_Aomine-kun, someday I know you’ll find someone who is more amazing than you._

That one on one… he just lost… No one was supposed to beat him but she just… Her one hundred percent was stronger than his….?

_MARRY THAT GIRL!_

Aomine jumped up just in time to see Kagami score.

“Aomine are you alright!” Wakamatsu ran over to him.

“I’m fine. I just tripped.” He scoffed. He didn’t to talk to Wakamatsu right now. He eyed Kagami who was walking to the other end of the court, his direction. That intense look in her eyes, her uniform clinging to her from all the sweat, he was ready for another round.

“Kagami let’s go!” Aomine called out to her.

She only glared back at him. Then she ran and stole the ball from Imayoshi. Aomine guarded her. His zone was at the end and he wasn’t sure if he could keep up this time. But one closer look and he could tell that she was starting to slow down. But her zone hadn’t run out and she jumped, higher than him and scored another three.

* * *

 

Riko had thought it was over. Watching Aomine play as he did, it seemed impossible that Seirin could ever catch up. But then Kagami… that skill she suddenly showed… and she had beat Aomine in that one on one! The two played like nothing she had ever seen, although now they were both wearing down.

Kagami managed to get one more steal and she passed to Izuki. He threw the ball to Kiyoshi who dunked bringing Seirin one point behind. They just needed one more basket…

* * *

 

Kagami breathed. She had gone way past her limit and was feeling the after effects. Her legs hurt and her lungs were burning and she may have one more play left in her. But she had never played like that before and never been that focused. She was now aware of everyone in the stadium cheering again and it was a little jarring from the quiet she experienced in the zone.

There was five seconds left on the clock and she was going to get her team that basket. Kagami saw Imayoshi about to pass to Sakurai, and with the last remnants of the zone, she ran and stole the ball mid pass. They were already near Seirin’s side of the court and as she crossed the free throw line, Aomine ran to guard her.

There was no way she was going to get by him. Kiyoshi and Hyuga were both marked. And Izuki was too far away. Her only option was to jump, but she wasn’t sure if she could get to her full height after being in the zone. But she knew who was behind her. She knew he was following her the moment she stole that pass.

Aomine was waiting for her to shoot. She wasn’t close enough to the net to dunk, so he wasn’t expecting her to jump. But he would easily notice once she started.

Kagami bounced the ball behind her.

“Hey what?” Aomine looked past her and nearly gasped.

Kagami jumped, putting all her remaining strength into her legs. Aomine jumped too, but she was already much higher than him.

Kuroko hit the ball up higher than Aomine could reach, even though he desperately tried. Somehow Kagami had gotten above the basket and she caught the ball and threw it into the net. The buzzer went off.

She landed… all sound blocked out. Both the boys on Touou and Seirin stared, unable to believe what had just happened. And then it hit her that they had won. The crowd was cheering loudly. The players on the bench were jumping up and hugging each other and Riko was practically in tears.

“We won!” Hyuga cried out. Kiyoshi and Izuki ran over to hug him.

Kagami let out cheer, unaware that Aomine was still in front of her. Then she ran and threw her arms around Kuroko. He had a big smile on his face and hugged her back.

And over on Touou’s side, the players on the bench, the coach, and Momoi, just sat, shocked at what had happened.

As soon as she let Kuroko go, his legs gave out and he nearly fell to the ground.

“Oh…” She said catching and steadying him. “Come on.” She said putting his arm around her to help him stand.

Then she looked over at Aomine, who stood there, numb to everything. It must have been the first game he had ever lost. She never would have pushed herself that far if she hadn’t him.

“Hey…” She said getting his attention. “Let’s play again.”

He sighed and walked over to her. “Fine… but I’m going to win next time.”

He gave her one last look before he started to walk away. But Kuroko spoke.

“Aomine-kun.”

Aomine turned around. “Tetsu?”

Kuroko held out his hand in a fist bump. “You didn’t return this last time.”

Aomine took a step back. “Really Tetsu! You still care about that!”

He nodded. “It hurt when you ignored me. Try putting yourself in my shoes.”

Aomine sighed. “Fine.” They fist bumped. “But this is the last one.”

Hyuga, Kiyoshi and Izuki ran over and threw their arms around that.

“Kagami, that really was amazing.” Kiyoshi said ruffling her hair. “You really are the ace of this team.”

She smiled.

Kagami had to help Kuroko walk to the line up and then back to the bench where they met up with the rest of their team. Koganei and Tsuchida threw their arms around her and Kuroko and Riko and Kiyoshi hugged each other.  And then Riko declared that dinner was on her.

She took one more look at Touou's bench and saw Momoi talking to Aomine while smiling.

It was still hard to believe that they had won that game. After everything that they had been put through… and they got to play again the following week. And then Kagami remembered who their opponent would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This game was so long! Like rereading through it. This is my favorite game in the series, but like, there's only so many way I can write "she shot and scored the basketball" That's why I kept cutting to characters in the stands just to speed by some parts. And I actually changed how it ended just to have femKagami more in tune with Kuroko. But yeah I may have to split future games into multiple chapters. Like, already I'm dreading Rakuzan.
> 
> But here you go. FemKagami's zone, Aomine falling head over heals in love... maybe losing a basketball game is his fetish...
> 
> So this week is my last week of class and then exams are next week. I have a few assignments due this week so updates may be slower for hte next two. Although the next two chapters shouldn't be too long and I may release something special related to this fic.
> 
> But yeah with this chapter I feel like I hit a milestone.
> 
> A few other notes. As I was reading, I remember someone saying that both Kagami and Aomine have animal instincts when they play... and when applied to this fic, that's kind of funny because I can only imagine them running off to the locker room after and yeah... 
> 
> Himuro, I don't think they showed him watching this game, but he is in this fic. Akashi was there in canon. I was going to have a scene in this fic where he's watching, he sees Hanamiya and the rest of Kirisaki Daichi and he walks over and asks what they were doing there... and Kirisaki Daichi just runs off. (Because in canon they were also watching that game and commentating.) But I just didn't write it.


	31. Visitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished my first big school project. So here is this chapter.

She was still on the high form the win as she and Kuroko walked back to her apartment after midnight. Not even being near Nigou could bring down her mood. Kuroko held the dog in his arms and it kept trying to nudge Kagami’s arm to get her attention.

The team had been celebrating all evening. First Riko took them out to dinner, where she ate her meal… and half of Kuroko’s. They stayed at the restaurant long after they had finished, until the owner practically kicked them out. And then they went to get dessert where they remained until the place closed.

They reached her apartment and Kagami unlocked the door. She was tired, but not quite ready to go to bed.

“Are you staying here tonight?” She asked setting her keys on the counter.

“Um…”

She laughed. “You might as well, there’s no way you’re going to wake up early enough tomorrow to get over to take the dog out.”

“Okay.”

Kagami yawned. She planning to sleep in late the next day, maybe past noon, figuring she deserved it after that play by the end of the game. It was a wonder that she could still stand. But despite celebrating all evening, she hadn’t really spoken to Kuroko personally about the win. In fact, Kuroko had been quiet most of the night.

“So… we won.”

Kuroko smiled. “Aomine looked like he was having a lot of fun playing that game.”

Kagami laughed quietly. “That’s all you really wanted right?” Although if what Kuroko wanted was for things between the two of them to go back to the way they were in middle school, Kagami wasn’t sure if that would happen.

“You are excited that we get to get to play next week, right?” It was more of a joke than anything. Kuroko’s main focus since she had met him had been on Aomine, although she did know that he did want to beat all the generation of miracles.

He nodded. “I do want to win the Winter Cup. And we still have to play Murasakibara and Akashi.”

“Good.” She grinned. “I think after Aomine we’ll be good-“

Kuroko shook his head. “Murasakibara will not be easy, I think it will be hard for you to score against him. and Akashi… he may be more difficult than Aomine.”

“That short guy?” Kagami raised her eye brow and Kuroko returned it with frown.

“Uh sorry,” She said looking away. “But… I guess he has a special skill?”

“He was our point guard… you’ll be playing against his whole team and…” Kuroko hesitated. “He has what he calls an emperor eye… he knows where everyone is on the court and he can predict what you’re going to do…”

“Um okay.” Kagami wasn’t exactly sure how he was going to be a bigger threat than Aomine. It sounded like all she had to do was hold the ball above where he could reach and she’d be fine. It was his other teammates that she’d be more worried about and leave him to Izuki.

Kuroko yawned.

“Are you tired?”

“No,” He said fighting to keep his eyes open.

“Come on, you could barely stand after that game. Go to bed.” She waved him off.

Kuroko stood up and walked to the guest room.

Nigou yipped. Kagami got a dog treat and then went to get herself a drink of water. It wasn’t a full minute before Kuroko walked back the kitchen.

“Um… Taiga… there’s someone in the guest room.”

It took her a moment to process what he said.

“What!” She raced down the hallway to the room ready tell who ever it was to get out and to be ready for a fight. Kuroko followed. She held out her hand. “Kuroko stay back!”

She had no idea how he was being so calm.

Kagami pushed the door open, turned on the light and was about to yell at whoever it was to leave. But then she recognized who it was immediately.

Alex was lying in the bed sleeping, and not wearing her pants. Kagami, although surprised, breathed a sigh of relief.

She turned off the light and closed the door. Kuroko was outside waiting for her.

“It’s okay, it’s just Alex… I didn’t think she was coming to Japan until the end of the week.”

Kuroko blinked. “I didn’t know Alex was a girl.”

“Yeah… Alex can be a man or woman’s name.” Kagami said and then realized that of all the pictures she had taken in LA, none of them had Alex in them.

“But she wanted to watch our game against Yosen… I thought she’d a least wait until she knew if we won our last game…”

She led Kuroko down the hall and stopped outside her room. “You’re going to have to sleep in my room tonight, I’ll take the couch.” It would be a total nightmare if Alex woke up before both of them and walked around the apartment while Kuroko was sleeping on the couch, not knowing what he could wake up too.

He looked away from her. “I don’t want to take your bed.”

“No trust me, you need to sleep in my room. I’ll have to handle Alex in the morning.” She couldn’t imagine Alex’s reaction to seeing a guy sleeping on her couch, if she even noticed Kuroko. “Now go to bed.” She nudged him towards her room.

* * *

 

The next morning, she was woken up by the sound of sizzling on the stove and then became aware of how sore her back was from sleeping on the couch. Kagami sat up and stretched and looked over where Alex was making breakfast… and not wearing her pants.

“Alex!” Kagami yelled jumping off the couch and checking around for Kuroko. But she didn’t see him.

“Hey Taiga!” She greeted holding up a spatula.

Kagami ran over and started to push her towards the guest room. “You need to get some pants on! I have a friend here!”

“Wait I don’t want the food to burn!”

Kagami reached over and turned off the stove, pushing the frying pan off the burner. Alex was making pancakes, and Kagami’s mouth watered at the smell. If Alex had been wearing all her clothes, she would have grabbed the already finished stack and started eating.

Kagami pushed Alex along hoping that the door to her room wouldn’t open. Right into the guest room and she closed the door behind her. That probably wasn’t the greeting Alex was expecting.

 She walked back to the kitchen ready to grab some food. Kuroko walked out of her room just as she reached the stove. He was only half awake and his hair was wild.

“Is everything okay?” He asked.

“Yeah… I just had to make Alex get dressed… and let me fix your hair.” She said leaving the pancakes for a second time.

* * *

 

In a few minutes they were all sitting at the kitchen table. Kuroko held Nigou in his lap and Kagami was finally eating that stack of pancakes.

“So you’re the phantom player Kagami has told me about.” Alex spoke patting Nigou on the head.

Kuroko nodded.

“Kagami… I’m surprised you have a dog living with you… did you get over your fear?”

“No.” Kagami shook her head. “Nigou is Tetsuya dog,” She pointed to Kuroko. “I just let them stay here because he can’t bring it home.” She took another bite.

Alex continued to pet the dog. “And you two won your game yesterday!” She smiled.

“Yeah… how did you hear about that?”

“Tatsuya told me as soon as it ended.” She smiled.

Kagami swallowed her food. “Tatsuya? Did he watch the game?”

Alex nodded. “And you two play next week, I can’t wait to watch!”

“Yeah I wasn’t expecting you here until next week otherwise I would have gotten home earlier last night.”

“You didn’t get my text?” Alex tilted her head.

“Huh?” Kagami pulled out her cell phone. She had been so busy celebrating that she hadn’t checked her phone since before the game. But she had several messages, most congratulating her and Seirin. And then there was one from Alex, informing her that she would be arriving in Tokyo that night.

“Oh sorry, I didn’t see this.”

“Don’t worry about it, you were busy. But I found an earlier flight and I thought I could spend the next few weeks here.”

She of course didn’t mind, Kagami just wished she could have been more prepared. There wasn’t much food in her house, because she was away in America the previous week and then there was the sleeping arrangements.

“You’re just going to have to sleep in my room…” Kagami wasn’t ready to explain the situation with Kuroko, but she was going to have to now. “Tetsuya uses the guest room, he stays here some nights to take care of the dog.”

“Mmmhmm.” Alex giggled.

“No I’m serious.” She groaned. But of course that sounded like some dumb cover up. She glanced over at Kuroko who didn’t seem at all bothered by any of it.

They ate breakfast and shortly after, Kuroko said that he had to go meet someone to help him out with his game. He didn’t give the identity of the person and Kagami didn’t ask any further questions, figuring there was a reason.

“Taiga.” Alex spoke after Kuroko left. “Do you have enough condoms?”

Kagami’s face got red. “Of course I do… but I don’t any right now!”

Alex shook her head. “You’re very close to that teammate… and he’s spending the night here?”

“Yeah but like I said, it’s only to take care of the dog… and he sleeps in the guest room! You saw me on the couch last night.” She folded her arms wanting this conversation to end. It was too embarrassing. She was never quite sure if Alex was like an older sister or a cool aunt. Either way, she didn’t want to talk about this with her. “And I told you that I don’t date teammates.”

“But your both teenagers… you never know if you’re going to get into the heat of the moment… and after you won that game yesterday, I’m surprised that you weren’t with someone last night.”

She groaned, her face now burning. It hadn’t even occurred to her to go sleep with someone, at least not someone on her team. All she wanted to do was eat and think about the game next week, an important one for her. After the Winter Cup finals… then maybe.

“Okay… I’m just looking out for you.”

“Yeah but if anything happens, I’m ready for it.” She sat back in her seat. “They’re in my night stand next to my bed.”

“That’s all I wanted to know.”

* * *

 

Kuroko waited at the basketball court, petting Nigou. He was nervous to say the least about this meeting, it had been two years since they had hung out as friends. Kuroko was surprised that he had even agreed to help him, and he wouldn’t have asked if he thought there was someone else that could.

Someone approached, and Kuroko looked up.

“Hey Tetsu.” Aomine said not making any eye contact.

* * *

 

Momoi dribbled and shot the ball. It hit the rim and rolled to the other side of the court. She groaned and then ran after it.

Hours had passed since she had come out to play. Basketball was not something that ever really played. The few times that she did it was always with Aomine and it was never any fun because he never went the slightest bit easy on her. But after watching the game yesterday, she felt the need to at least try a few things.

She had only seen Aomine briefly that morning, right before he went to meet with Kuroko. It was tempting to go with him, to make sure the meeting went well and to see Kuroko, but she figured that they needed alone time together to work everything out.

She sighed, hoping that things were going well. She missed the days when Aomine and Kuroko were friends. The three would often hang out together.

Momoi held the ball and then tried to jump and shoot from the three point line, just like Kagami would do in games. But her shot was a complete air ball.

“Momoi?”

Her heart felt like it had stopped and she froze at the sound of her voice. Kagami just had to be nearby and witness that awful shot.

She turned around slowly hoping that her face wasn’t too red. “Hi Kagami-chan.” She said laughing quietly. “What are you doing here?”

Kagami walked onto to the court holding several bags. “I was just picking up some things for someone visiting me…” Kagami set down the bags and picked up the basketball. “I didn’t know you played.”

“Um… I don’t… I just wanted to today… and Dai-chan is busy.”

“Oh yeah, how is he doing?” She asked sounding genuinely concerned.

It made Momoi happy. Watching Aomine have that much fun playing against Kagami, it was like he was in middle school again, and although he didn’t make the best first impression on her, she did want the two to at least be friendly towards each other. But to answer her question…

“Um… I’m not sure… he went right home from the game yesterday and I only saw him when he was leaving to meet Tetsu-“

“So that’s who Tetsuya asked to help him.” Kagami eyes widened.

“Um yeah… I just hope it’s going okay.” Momoi said. It made her feel sick to think of all the ways it could go wrong for them.

“I’m sure it will be.” Kagami said. “I mean, Tetsuya doesn’t seem like the type to hold grudges, but you probably know him better than I do.”

She smiled. “Yeah I guess you’re right.”

Kagami held up the basketball. “Do you want to play?”

It was like a dream come true to hear Kagami ask her that. But then she remembered how all her games against Aomine went.

“Um… I don’t think it would be that much fun with me…”

“Don’t worry, it’s just for fun.” Kagami passed the ball to her. “And we can just shoot some hoops.”

“Okay.” Momoi said still nervous. She hadn’t exactly made that many baskets that day.

Momoi dribbled and then ran to the basket, as she had seen so many basketball players do during warm ups. Her hands where tense as she jumped and shot and the ball. It hit the backboard below the rim. She cringed but then Kagami caught the ball and jumped up and dunked. And then faced Momoi as if she were showing off.

“You threw the ball a little too late.” Kagami said handing the ball. “When you do a lay up release a little earlier. But don’t worry, we still scored a point.” She grinned.

 Momoi laughed.

They played. Kagami showed off a few of her shots and gave Momoi some tips. At one point, she put her arms around Momoi and guided her arms to shoot a three, which made Momoi’s heart flutter. And any shot that she missed, Kagami would catch the rebound and dunk. Momoi couldn’t stop and admire her form every time.

“That was so much fun!” Momoi exclaimed when they were done. Sweat was pouring down her face but she didn’t care. “I wish I could dunk like you, it looks so cool! But I guess I’m too short.”

Kagami grinned at her. “Actually, you can.” She handed Momoi the ball and walked up behind her and placed her hands on her hips.

Momoi blushed.

“Ready?” Kagami asked.

She nodded, feeling a little nervous.

Kagami lifted her, and Momoi never once felt like she was too heavy. In fact she was so impressed by Kagami’s strength that she almost forgot to drop the ball in the net. But she did and after wards Kagami set her down.

“I can’t believe how strong you are!” Momoi commented. Kagami’s arms were hidden by the sweatshirt she wore, but Momoi knew that they were well toned.

Kagami laughed a little embarrassed.

“Can we play again sometime?”

“Sure… just…” Kagami looked them both over. “Next time, we’ll wear gym clothes and shoes, that will make it easier.”

Momoi looked at the skirt she was wearing. And was a little embarrassed as she wondered if it lifted up during their game.

“I might be able to play after practice tomorrow.” Kagami continued. “I’ll text you when we finish.”

Momoi smiled and nodded.

* * *

 

Kuroko shot another basket using a form that he found that worked for him. Aomine stood and watched and seemed satisfied when the ball went into the net.

It was nice hanging out with him again, almost like the past two years hadn’t happened. They had talked, Aomine told him how he felt after losing the game, how awful it initially felt, but that everything was going to be fine... And then he helped Kuroko learn to shoot.

“That should be good for today.” Aomine said.

Kuroko picked up the basketball. “Thank you Aomine-kun.”

“I should be thanking you.” He mumbled and then nodded.

Aomine was quiet for a moment, as if trying to figure out how to put something into words. And then he spoke.

“So Kagami…” He started.

Kuroko perked up, interested in what he had to say. When he had first met Kagami, she had reminded him of Aomine… and he always wondered what the two would think of each other. He got his answer but now that Aomine lost to her… he was more curious.

“Um…” Aomine paused and broke eye contact. “She’s not your girlfriend is she?”

“No… Taiga doesn’t date teammates.” He said. “She’s a very good friend.”

Aomine then looked relieved. “So you wouldn’t mind if I fucked her?”

Kuroko sighed, wishing that Aomine didn’t feel the need to word it that way. By the looks he gave her at the game… Kuroko knew he wanted more than that.

Aomine continued. “I mean if you do have feelings for her, just tell me and I’ll back off.”

“So it’s fine… as long as she wants to.”

“Tetsu what do you take me for!” Aomine held up his hands.

Maybe he could have worded that better. But if the two wanted to date, that was fine with him, only… Aomine was going to have some competition.

“I wasn’t sure if you would like her… that way.” Kuroko continued. Aomine had said that he wanted a girl with big boobs, and that wasn’t Kagami. But she did share his love of basketball.

Aomine shrugged. “Yesterday’s game… it was the first time in years that I had fun playing against someone else… and I don’t know, she’s on my mind… and I just want to see her more.”

Kuroko grabbed his phone. “I could ask her to come here-”

Aomine shook his head. “No way, you’ll make me look desperate if you do that.”

Kuroko smiled. Aomine was going to do everything to make this more difficult for himself. He be better off being like Kise be upfront about his feelings.

“Besides… I’m not ready yet. I need to get over yesterday’s loss.”

Kuroko nodded and something else came to mind. “You’re okay that you lost to a girl?”

Aomine folded his arms. “Tch… if I can’t beat her, no one can.”

Kuroko was about to mention that she hadn’t played Murasakibara or Akashi, and that was the attitude that led to him no longer enjoying basketball. But he didn’t. There was no point in reminding him of that when they were finally on friendly terms again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So right now the conversation between Kuroko and Aomine is one of my favorites. I'll probably reread it in a few months and cringe, but I like Aomine being a bro and asking Kuroko first before pursues Kagami. And I've been wanting to write Kagami and Momoi playing basketball together for a very long time. Also why I delayed writing....
> 
>  
> 
> Kagami x Momoi
> 
> Their biggest shipper: Other than all the perverted boys? Kuroko and Aomine. Aomine is a bit confused at first because he didn't think Momoi was into girls. 
> 
> When does it happen: Beginning of second year. Wakamatsu is worried a bit about a conflict of interest.
> 
> What do I like about them: In this fic, I like that she admires Kagami and that's what makes her want to go outside and play basketball. I always wanted Momoi to find something that she enjoys that doesn't include Aomine. I love their friendship but she does so much for him and doens't get anything in return. And yeah is good at information gathering for the team, but if Aomine were to play, we'll say soccer, she'd be gathering information for that team too. (Also why I tend to brotp them rather than otp although I have no problems with Aomomo) So I wanted her to at least play basketball for herself and enjoy it. And honestly, I think these two are adorable together. Momoi with her big tough girl friend and Kagami with her cute little one. I could see these two being over protective of each other. (And Momoi already has been)
> 
> If not each other: I do like Kuromomo. I know it's one of the least popular Kuroko ships but I do like them together. She was the only one who stayed with him when the Teiko friendship fell apart. Kuroko doesn't over sexualize her, and she respects Kuroko as a player by not witholding information from her team about his skills.   
> Other than that, the rest are more crack ships. I like Muramomo, for really no reason, only that they would be cute. And Kiyoshi x Momoi is a crack ship/ guilty pleasure of mine, only because I think it would be cute. I once also shipper her with Furihata for a hot minute because I thought those two could be cute.


	32. Practice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is a mini chapter. These events probably should have been included with the last one, because there isn't much progression with the story, but oh well.

Alex made dinner that night, and then breakfast the next morning. She didn’t mind Kuroko being with them. Actually, with his low presence and how quiet he was, she completely forgot he was there.

That evening, she spent most of the night watching TV, in particular anime that she found interesting. Kagami and Kuroko watched for a little, but the show she had chosen didn’t interest any of them.

In the morning she made breakfast and also lunch for school, freeing up time for Kagami in the morning.

At practice that day, all the guys, except for Kuroko and Kiyoshi, crowded around the entrance of the gym, excited about someone’s arrival. Kagami was busy working on a new play with Kuroko and hadn’t seen who had arrived. But it reminded her of that time Kise visited her school.

“Hey what are you guys doing!” Riko called out to them, trying to see what the big deal was. “Get back to practice.”

Kagami looked over the top of Hyuga’s head and noticed the blond hair.

“Oh no…” She ran over and tried to push her way past her teammates. Of course Alex would attract their attention, and from what Kagami could see, she was enjoying all of it.

“Kagami! This was your basketball coach!” Hyuga yelled. “You never told us Alex was a beautiful woman!”

Kagami laughed quietly. “Yeah I forgot to mention that.” Even though Alex could be a man or woman’s name in America, she had just figured that they would assume that her coach was a woman.

“Then introduce us to her.” Hyuga said pointing at Alex.

That got everyone to quiet down and to move so that Alex could walk into the gym. Riko, Kiyoshi, and Kuroko also walked over.

Kagami took notice of the low-cut top that showed a lot of cleavage and the short skirt. Kagami sighed. No wonder the guys were so excited.

“This is Alexandra Garcia… the woman who taught me to play basketball, and she played in the WNBA.” Kagami tacked that on the end, unsure whether or not she had told them.

Alex gave a big smile as she was introduced.

“The WNBA!” Everyone exclaimed.

Riko turned to her, her eyes wide. “Kagami why didn’t you tell us you were training with an ex WNBA player!”

“Um… I guess I figured you guys would know her name.” She laughed a little embarrassed. Then she focused her attention on Alex.

“Alex... why are you here? Is everything alright?” It was a little unusual that she showed up at her school.

“I just wanted to meet your team, you talked about them so much last week.”

Which was true. Kagami also turned down moving back to America to continue playing with them. That had to have Alex curious about them.

“Um… could you train us too?” Izuki asked.

Alex shook her head. “Sorry, but your next big game is against Yosen, and one of my other students is on that team. I Can’t pick favorites.” She put her arm around Kagami. “But I can watch your practice.”

Alex sat next to Riko as they ran drills. The guys, with the exception of Kuroko, Kiyoshi, and Tsuchida were distracted, and kept looking over at her. Alex would smile and wave at times, which always made their faces get red and often Riko would scold them to get their heads back in the game.

“She’s too old for you.” Kagami at one point glared at Koganei and Mitobe. The two walked off with their heads down.

At break, they all went over to talk to her. They mostly asked questions about the WNBA, but then Kiyoshi asked about how she met Kagami and what Kagami was like when she was younger.

“She was one of my best students.” Alex said.

“You only had two.” Kagami mumbled.

“And I had to keep her out of trouble at times.” Alex grinned.

Everyone looked at her, wanting more details, but Kagami refused to give any. It wasn’t like they were that exciting, just that she got into a few fights with some of the annoying bullies when she was younger and once got in trouble because an adult thought she was older than she was.

When practice ended, she and Alex left the gym together.

“That… could have gone better.” Kagami said. “And did you have to wear that?”

“Sorry.” Alex apologized. “I wasn’t thinking when I got dressed this morning, but yeah maybe I shouldn’t have worn this around a bunch of teenage boys.” She laughed. “You team did do well, I was impressed.”

She wasn’t sure if Alex was telling the whole truth or not. Hyuga had missed a few shots because he had been looking over at her. Tsuchida and Mitobe missed a few rebounds and Izuki let the ball fall from his hands and roll away.

“I finally see why Kuroko is your basketball partner… those passes to you, they looked like they were coming out of nowhere, but then I finally saw him.”

She nodded. It was better to actually see Kuroko’s play style than to have it explained to you.

“Are you coming home?” Alex asked.

“I’m actually meeting someone.” Kagami pulled out her phone. “I’ll be home later.”

“Alright I’ll have dinner ready.”

* * *

 

Momoi waited at the court. And hour before she received Kagami’s text, she had gotten herself ready. And when she looked into the mirror before she left her house, she barely recognized herself. Her hair was pulled back into her pony tail and her sports bra made it look like she had a small chest. Her gym clothes completely hid her figure. Although she had to admit it, she did feel more comfortable.

She also thought she looked like an athlete, like she could have been part of a team… even if her arms and legs were small and skinny. Maybe if she started going to the gym she could fix that.

“I’m leaving to meet Tai-chan.” She had told Aomine.

“Tai-chan?” Aomine raised his eyebrow at her. “Are you on a first name basis with her now?”

She ignored him and left.

Momoi told Aomine that she was playing basketball with Kagami that day. He was confused at first and then curious as to why she now wanted to play, even though he had asked her several times in the past. Momoi simply said that she just wanted to, not wanting to give him too many details of her feelings for Kagami.

 She did invite him to go with her which he immediately turned down before she even finished asking.

But she didn’t mind. Momoi was going to ask that he just watch. If he started playing it would just be a one on one between those two.

Now she waited at the court. Kagami said she would be there in about fifteen minutes and looking at the time on her phone, Kagami should be there soon. And as soon as she looked up, she saw Kagami approaching and smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Alex has met the rest of Seirin, a bit differently in this fic because I didn't want to write all the fanservice. 
> 
> Next is the Yosen game. I may have a pre game chapter, because the game should be emotional for Kagami, Alex and Himuro. And I'll probably split the game into two parts because the games are now getting long.
> 
> And I also messed up the timeline again. Touou was only the first game. Rereading the manga there were a few games between that one and Yosen. So I may have to go back to edit again and just briefly mention next chapter that other games were played, but no one thought that Seirin or Yosen would lose.
> 
> Anyway just for fun. The GOM's reaction to another GOM dating Kagami.
> 
> Kagakuro: Well they really were in love after all. 
> 
> Kikaga: Of course the pretty boy wins :/
> 
> Midokaga: Wait, he's Kagami's type! D:
> 
> Aokaga: Guess the two lights were made for each other.
> 
> Momokaga: Okay I didn't see that one coming.
> 
> MuraKaga: Okay just... what? What is it about Murasakibara that attracted Kagami? D:
> 
> Akakaga: Akashi wins everything :'(


	33. Yosen part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this game is split into two parts. Because Yosen is a very long game and it's very hard to write. A lot of the conflict is interesting between Kiyoshi and Murasakibara. Anyway here you go. Part 2 may come after my last final.

Kagami ate her breakfast quietly. Alex sat across from her and the two had hardly spoken that morning. Her mind was too preoccupied with the game that day, and Alex seemed to realize that she didn’t want to be bothered.

Her team had won their games leading up to this one, as they were expected. Today would be the quarter finals against Yosen, against Himuro. The game could completely break whatever was left of their friendship which was enough to make her… not excited to play. It was one annoying road block to winning the winter cup.

The only way their friendship could probably be saved was if Yosen won. Then he wouldn’t have to feel embarrassed about losing to a girl and he would win with out her letting him.

She shook her head. Kagami wanted to win whether or not it would make Himuro happy. But… she still wanted to be friends again. The whole thing was giving her a headache.

“Taiga are you okay?” Alex asked.

“Huh?” Kagami looked up from her breakfast.

“You’ve been playing with that ring all morning.”

“Uh?” Kagami looked town to see that she was tugging at the chain. “Oh I was just-“ Her voice trailed off.

“I know you’re thinking about him.” Alex said and took a drink of her coffee.

She groaned, hating the fact that she was that obvious. “Have you spoken to him lately?”

“I’ve sent him a few texts, but he hasn’t responded to most of them… the rest were just one-word answers.” Alex paused. “But I’m going to go see him before the game. Maybe he’ll talk to me then.”

Kagami sighed. It sounded like Himuro was now pushing Alex out of his life.

It wasn’t only Himuro she had to worry about. Murasakibara, Teiko’s former center, was also on the team. Earlier that week, she invited the team to her apartment to watch a recording of Yosen’s previous games. Beforehand, she had texted Alex and warned her to have her pants on that even, and she did, and also made the team dinner. Alex treated the team like they were all one big family.

When they watched the games, not one team had scored against Murasakibara. No matter what they tried, he blocked their shots. With him and Himuro on a team, the game would be very difficult.

* * *

 

Alex had arrived at the stadium early, hoping to catch Himuro. She understood why he was cold towards Kagami, even if it was childish, but it at least made sense. She almost regretted explaining to Kagami what was really going on, but Himuro had made her promise not to over two years ago.

She spotted a team with three very tall players and then Himuro towards the back next to the tallest one on their team. She knew that was Murasakibara and his height really was impressive now that she saw him in person.

“Tatsuya!” She called out to him.

He looked up. “Alex?”

She couldn’t tell whether or not he was happy to see her, but he was certainly surprised.

“Hey who is that gorgeous woman Himuro!” One of his teammates demanded.

She threw her arms around him and started to kiss him on the cheek but he put his finger over her lips. “Alex, not here.”

“What he’s so lucky!” The shortest of his team said.

She smiled. “I just wanted to see my two students play against each other.”

“Um… actually, can we talk outside.”  He broke eye contact with her.

“Sure.”

Himuro led the way, out the doors and to a secluded place. He stood across from her and was quiet for an uncomfortably long time.

“So… you’re playing Taiga-“

“Alex… thank you for everything you’ve taught me…” Himuro looked away from her. “but can you stop treating me like a kid? And… I don’t think I need you anymore.”

She blinked. “What?”

“I need to get better… better than you…”

It was like a stab to the heart. She had known him since he was little and now he was telling her that she wasn’t needed? And she had always expected him and Kagami to one day surpass her.

This didn’t even make any sense. He lived in Japan now, she would only see him whenever she’d visit. It wasn’t like she could really train him anymore anyway, unless he took a trip to LA.

“Um… okay… if that’s how you feel.” She forced herself not to start crying and did her best to hide her anger. “But what about Taiga… do you still have feelings for her?”

He looked up, and there were tears in his eyes.

* * *

 

Later, Seirin was about to leave the locker room to go out for warm ups. Kagami had barely listened to whatever it was that Riko had said. Instead, she played with her ring, and thought back to the streetball game, the one that she had thrown, and wondered if things would have turned out different if she had just played and won.

“Taiga, are you okay?” Kuroko asked.

“I’ll be fine.” It was a bit of a lie. The more time passed, the more she dreaded the game. Whether she won or lost, the outcome wasn’t going to be happy for her.

 As they were warming up, she’d glance over at the other team, at Himuro, and not once did he look over when she was looking. She thought about letting the ball roll over to Yosen’s side of the court, and then she would run after it. It would be her lame attempt to say a few words to him.

But she didn’t and soon they were back in the locker rooms waiting for the start of the game.

* * *

 

Himuro sat in the locker room barely paying attention to his coach, and hoping that his eyes weren’t to red. He distracted himself from everything that he said to Alex earlier by playing with his ring and focusing on the game.

He had trained hard for it, staying long after practice to work on technique and his shots. His coach one time made him go back to his dorm, insisiting that he needed to rest.

“This team is going to be very different from any that you have played before.” Masako continued her pep talk, only now her tone had gotten darker. “Seirin has a girl… and if, during the game, any of you ask her out on a date or touch her inappropriately… even by accident…” She held up her wooden katana. “I’ll kill you.”

Everyone but Himuro and Murasakibara held their heads down, knowing that the coach was telling the truth.

“Aw and I was hoping that she’d be impressed with my basketball skills!”

“It doesn’t matter how good you are… your face would terrify her!”

Murasakibara eyed him while eating a chip. “Aren’t you already-“

Himuro elbowed him in the ribs. Murasakibara likely barely even felt it, but it was enough to make him stop talking.  He regretted talking about Kagami to him. It was before he knew that she was playing on the boy’s team and that there was the possibility that he would play an official game against her. The week leading up to this game, Murasakibara always found a way to casually bring up his feelings towards her, sometimes even in front of the team.

* * *

 

The teams were out on the court, waiting for tip off. Kagami stood near Himuro. She kept waiting for him to look over to her, but he acted as though she were just any other player.

“Hey.” She said getting his attention.

He looked at her, his expression unreadable.

She had no idea what to say to him. It was hard to tell if he even still liked her or if she was just an annoyance.

“Good luck.” She finally said.

“Don’t hold back this time.” He responded.

“Why would I do that in this game?” She glared at him. “You have one of the generation of miracles on your team.”

The look he gave her seemed to indicate that he had taken offense to that statement, but she didn’t dwell on it. The game was about to start.

The ref tossed up the ball. And Murasakibara got to it first and hit it to one of his teammates. But no one moved, and his team was very annoyed with him.

“Sorry.” Murasakibara said.

The ref blew the whistle. “Jump violation! White Number 9!”

Then she understood. Murasakibara had gotten the ball before it reached its full height. But she hadn’t even seen him jump… the ref couldn’t throw it high enough to be out of his reach.

It was Seirin’s ball. Izuki passed to Kuroko, who hit it to Hyuga. Hyuga was about to shoot a three but Murasakibara move right in front of him, towering over him.

“You want me to crush you!” He said coldly.

Kagami was almost taken aback. The guy was terrifying.

Hyuga jumped back and tried to shoot, but Murasakibara still blocked the ball. But Izuki got to it before Yosen and threw it to Kuroko who passed it to her. She was at the three-point line and jumped to shoot. But Murasakibara managed to step in front of her and blocked her shot.

She blinked. He was over on the other on the other side only a moment ago. Murasakibara only looked down at her with a blank expression.

And Yosen now had the ball. It was passed to Himuro. She ran intending to block, she was taller than him and could jump much higher, so it should be easy.

Himuro looked at her and then shot the ball. She jumped and stuck her hand up… but the ball passed right through. Her eyes widened, and then she heard it go into the net.

She turned and stared at him, wondering what had just happened. He looked back at her as if expecting her to say something. She didn’t have any words for him, so instead, she ran back to offense.

* * *

 

Aomine had gotten to the game early with Momoi. She had been shocked to see that he was ready and even willing to go when she arrived at his house. He simply told her that he wanted to see if Kuroko’s shot would work. He didn’t mention that he wanted to see Kagami play.

But as he watched, he felt a little jealous of Seirin. Had Touou won their last game, they would be the ones on the court. And knowing how Murasakibara played and how hard it was to score against him, the game could have been a lot of fun. But he had wanted to find someone that could beat him at basketball, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted that person to be Murasakibara, or any of the other generation of miracles. Kagami had already done that anyways…

And now, Seirin couldn’t score against Yosen. No matter how hard they tried, Murasakibara was there to block the ball.

He had noticed that when Murasakibara blocked Kagami’s shot, it was much gentler than the others and he didn’t look as though he wanted to crush her, like he had with the guys. Although, ironically, Kagami was probably the one that could best handle him at his full strength.

“I hope Seirin can win.” Momoi spoke, her eyes fixed on the game.

He nodded. Yesterday, when he and Kuroko finished practicing, Aomine had told him not to lose. After losing to Seirin… if they lost to Yosen, a game that Touou had beat in the inter high, he’d just be annoyed.

“You didn’t give her any information on Yosen did you?” Aomine asked. He knew that she was meeting Kagami after school to play basketball. And he still couldn’t believe that Momoi was out playing, she’d never play with him.

Momoi shook her head. “No… that is only for Touou. The only time I ever gave her information was for Kirisaki Daichi, and only because I was worried about her safety.”

He focused back on the game. It wasn’t only Murasakibara that could stop Seirin from scoring. Two other very tall guys could put a stop to any if Murasakibara was lagging behind. And at the end of the first quarter, Yosen was in the lead eighteen to zero.

* * *

 

Between the first and second quarter, Kagami sat on the bench drinking her water. The only reason that the team’s morale wasn’t completely destroyed was that Kiyoshi got a rebound at the end using his vice claw. It wasn’t much, but it let everyone know that they at least still had a chance.

But none of her skills seemed to work. It didn’t matter how high she jumped, Murasakibara could block her. And that shot Himuro did… the ball had passed through her hand, she couldn’t even begin to figure out how that worked.

“Um…” Kuroko spoke getting the team’s attention. “Let me make the first shot.”

Everyone looked at him.

“Kuroko… do you really think you can?” Hyuga asked completely unsure.

Kuroko nodded. “Yes… and I don’t want it to end here. Please let me make the first shot.”

Everyone was quiet waiting for someone else to speak, either in favor or against. Kuroko had never scored a basket in any game, and to leave it to him to score the first?

“Alright.” Riko finally said likely because they didn’t have any other options. “Give the ball to Kuroko.”

“And Kagami.” Riko continued. “You and Kiyoshi are the only ones tall enough to guard three of these guys, but if you’re going to stop them, you need to lower your center of gravity.”

She nodded relieved that she now had an excuse to not be near Himuro. She didn’t want to deal with any of his smug looks when he’d make what he called his mirage shot. And maybe focusing elsewhere would take her mind off of all the drama around him.

Second quarter started and Seirin had the ball. Their job was right now was to keep it away from Yosen until Kuroko was in proper position.

She and Kiyoshi were both under the net ready to get any rebound and to draw any attention away from Kuroko... not that that was needed.

 The ball was passed to Kiyoshi. He jumped acting like he was about to score, but as expected Murasakibara was there to block him. Kagami ran up behind. Kiyoshi passed to her just as Yosen’s captain arrived to guard her. And then she passed to Kuroko.

He got ready to shoot getting into that odd form.

“Kuro-chin?” Murasakibara moved over to guard him. “I don’t care how small you are, I’ll crush you too.”

Kagami ran till she was behind him, incase he needed to pass. But Kuroko shot the ball. Murasakibara reached to block it, but he couldn’t see it. The ball went into the net. Seirin had their first points.

* * *

 

Midorima had to do a double take when Kuroko scored and against Murasakibara of all people. Kuroko had never made a basket in middle school or in any games before this one.

Kagami ran over and gave him a fist bump.

Midorima wasn’t sure just yet, but Kuroko might coordinate better with Kagami than Aomine. It made sense. They were both outsiders in this league.

After Kuroko scored, Seirin seemed to have a renewed energy within them.

Kuroko had the ball again and two of Yosen’s players went to block. But he passed back to Hyuga who shot and scored a three.

“Hey.” Takao pointed to the court. “That one is Kagami’s fiancé from the streetball tournament right?” The guy was being double teamed by Hyuga and Izuki.

Midorima frowned. “She said he wasn’t her fiancé.”

“Shin-chan are you jealous?” Takao had a sly look on his face.

“Of course not!” He knew his face was getting red. Takao could be so grating at times. “Kagami said that was something they did as kids!”

If he were to be honest, he was a little jealous. Even though he suspected that they had a falling out, the two did have history together and Kagami gave the impression that she still wanted to be his friend. And despite everything, he seemed very comfortable around her. Still, Midorima didn’t like the way he treated her back then. Wanting to settle some game that happened years ago when they were younger and more immature.

Two from Yosen went to guard Kuroko. It was the first time Midorima had ever seen Kuroko double teamed. But with two guys on him, that left Hyuga open. Kuroko passed back to him and he scored another three.

“So who do you want to win?” Takao asked.

“I want to play against Seirin in the finals.”

“Because of Kagami or because you would be worried about Murasakibara?”

“Huh?” He knew that question as a trap. Takao didn’t even bother to take Kise into account. Although if he were to take a bet on who would win between Kise and Murasakibara, he’d choose Murasakibara.

“I can score against Murasakibara with my high arc. I just like Seirin’s team.”

But he had never played a game against Murasakibara and he really wasn’t sure if he could score against him. If Kagami could block his shots, Murasakibara certainly could. And there were two other guys that were taller than her. He would have to use his and Takao’s new combined move.

“Mmmhmm…” Takao grinned. “But… we’re playing against Rakuzan in the semifinals… can we win?”

He sighed. “I don’t know.” Rakuzan would be their most difficult game in the Winter Cup. Akashi was very good and didn’t think that he was capable of losing. Midorima knew that was his biggest fear… but he thought it would be good for him, to show him that everything would be okay. But could Shutoku do it was the question. Or Seirin, or Yosen, or Kaijo… Touou couldn’t in the inter high finals, but neither Aomine or Akashi were playing in that game.

Kuroko scored another basket. And then the second quarter ended. Seirin now had seventeen points and Yosen twenty-nine.

* * *

 

Seirin sat in the locker room on the break, figuring out what to do in the third quarter. While they were making a comeback, Kuroko would be sitting out the next quarter, and he was the reason they had started to score points. She’d be lying if she said that she wasn’t nervous about playing without him.

Kiyoshi stood up walked over and sat next to her.

“See Kagami, all you had to do was lower your center of gravity and you were able to guard those two just fine.” He smiled at her.

She nodded, still unable to believe that had worked. Yosen’s captain wasn’t able to move once she had lowered her hips. And the guy kept giving her really strange looks. She felt creeped out thinking about them.

“And you want to win against your friend right?”

“Yes.” She said, taking a drink of her water.

“But you’re not distracted are you?”

She nearly choked. Himuro was on her mind a lot during that game, but she didn’t think it was a hinderance. Once she was guarding the other two, she could focus elsewhere. But still, it was annoying that she kept thinking about him and his mirage shot instead of just playing like she would any other game.

When halftime ended, Kuroko walked up to them. He smiled and gave them both a fist bump.

“Let’s not lose.” He said.

 They both returned it.

When third quarter started, Himuro had the ball almost immediately. Kagami was nearby and ran to guard him determined to block that shot. With Kuroko out and Mitobe now in, both he and Kiyoshi could guard the two tall guys. Murasakibara stayed under the net as he had at the street ball game so he was no problem when Yosen was on offense.

“So Taiga…” Himuro said as she approached. “You’re finally going to play against me?”

“Yeah.” She said as emotionless as she possibly could. “And we’re not going to lose.”

“Good, you’re going all out then.” He said and then he jumped to shoot.

Kagami jumped to block him, but he never jumped. He faked her out and then ran by her. But he was met by Hyuga. Kagami ran after him and before either of them realized what he was doing, Himuro jumped and shot the ball. His motions were so smooth that they didn’t realize that he was shooting until the ball left his hands.

After the ball went into the net, he looked at her, and like before, he seemed to be waiting for her to react or say something. But when she didn’t, he walked off.

They managed to counter shortly after with Hyuga. He threw a sloppy three, but it did go into the basket, getting them their points back.

Yosen got the ball back to Himuro. Kagami ran to mark him again, but she hesitated, unsure if hew as going to fake again.

“Looks like you’re going to take me seriously.” He said looking up at her.

“I always planned to.” She rolled her eyes wondering what his deal was. Himuro had never spoken to her during a game like this. And she had no idea why he would think that she would go easy on him in an official tournament.  

 “Taiga…” He said very seriously and looking at the ground. “I’m sorry, but if I lose, I don’t know if I can look at you after this.”

“What!” She blinked. What the hell was that supposed to mean? What losing to her that bad! Why was she even wasting her time with him…

“So that’s how you want it.” She said coldly. Those words managed to take every last little bit of fun away that she could have had during this game.

He shot the ball. Kagami hesitated, unsure if it was a fake, but she jumped to block, and the ball went through her hand and into the basket.

Kagami didn’t look at him, she just walked to the other end of the court. And then she grabbed her ring, squeezing it so hard it could have broke.

She gestured for Izuki to pass her the ball. She caught it and Himuro ran to mark her. Fine, he wanted to see her go all out, she’d destroy him in a one on one right there.  She dribbled and spun away from him and then smiled when he wasn’t able to keep up. And then she went to shoot… but forgot all about Murasakibara. He smacked the ball away just as it left her hands.

Kagami watched the ball roll out of bounds and she just wanted to slam her foot into the ground.

Seirin called for a substitution. Tsuchida was walking toward her and gesturing for her to get on the bench.

“No! I can still play!” She protested. She couldn’t be taken out now, not when she had this to settle with Himuro. Just one more one on one with him, and not forget about Murasakibara that time.

“Come on Kagami, just get on the bench.” Tsuchida said. “We need our ace to calm down.” He patted her on the shoulder.

She groaned and went over and sat next to Kuroko. He eyed her but didn’t say anything.

“Kagami…” Riko stood in front of her. “What was that all about?”

“I’m just trying to beat him.” She said slumping over.

“I don’t know…” Riko said. “You looked like an angry ex.”

“He’s not an ex.” She glared at Riko. Although she was right about her being angry at him.

Riko breathed. “Okay I’m sorry for wording it like that. But Kagami… you’re the best player on this team. Everyone here recognizes that. And you’re still hung up on him?” Riko paused and cleared her throat. “And people do change.”

Kagami breathed. Riko had a point. She may not have known everything about their past, but she was right, Himuro wasn’t the person he was when they were children.

 She eyed Kuroko, the others on the bench, and then the ones out on the court who all accepted her as their ace. And Kise and Midorima, two of the generation of miracles that had lost to her and still had become her friends. Even Aomine accepted his defeat gracefully.

She sighed and grabbed the chain that held her ring.

_I’m sorry Alex._

She pulled the chain up over her head and handed it to Kuroko.

“Tetsuya.” She said.

He looked at her.

“Please get rid of this for me.” She dropped it into his hand. The ring was old and faded and the fake red gem lost years ago.  “I don’t need it anymore.”

“Are you sure?” He asked looking at it.

“Yeah… I have you guys now.” She said. She’d get rid of it herself, smash it, toss it in the trash. But she knew she could never bring herself to throw it way.

She focused back on the game, resting her chin in her palms and just in time to watch Kiyoshi score another two points.

* * *

 

Aomine was impressed. Seirin was making a comeback. All because of Kuroko’s basket. Aomine could now take pride in helping him learn to shoot.

He eyed Yosen’s shooting guard, the one that had made Kagami overly emotional. He didn’t recognize him from middle school.

“Satsuki, what do you know about Yosen’s number twelve?”

Momoi opened her notebook. “Himuro Tatsuya? He just moved to Japan this year, I don’t have much information on him yet… but he’s Kagami’s friend from America.”

“Huh?” That would explain her play before she was taken out.

“Yeah, they were friends for years… he’s the one that introduced her to basketball… he even asked her to marry her when they were kids.” Momoi giggled. “That’s why she wears that ring.”

Aomine scoffed.

“But they had a falling out.” Momoi said quietly. “Kagami got much better at the game than him… and he started to grow cold towards her… and she tried to fix it by letting him win a streetball game.”

“Oh yeah, that would do it.” Aomine said. He too would have been furious if someone had let him win. “How are they now?”

“Um… Kagami said that he wants to play a real game with her… but she doesn’t know how he’ll handle if Yosen loses.”

Aomine figured the guy just didn’t like losing to a girl… and if he were younger he would have felt the same. But considering that she had beaten him, Kise, and Midorima, and if Seirin won this game, Murasakibara, losing to her shouldn’t be that big of a deal. And as he told Kuroko, if he couldn’t beat her, then no one else could.

He watched the game. Even without Kagami and Kuroko, Seirin was still holding on. They were almost with in ten-point difference and it was all thanks to Kiyoshi.

* * *

 

“Kagami are you ready to go back in?” Riko asked.

She nodded, no longer angry. Sitting down and cooling off had helped, and taking the necklace off had helped even more.

Seirin called for a substitution and she walked onto the court, purposefully over to Himuro, intending to mark him.

He noticed right away that her necklace was gone and he looked hurt and his expression seemed to be asking her for an explanation.

She glared at him. “It’s not going to matter who wins this game... I’m done with you.”

Before she could see his reaction, the next play started. Yosen had the ball. It was passed to Himuro when he was at the three-point line. Kagami ran to mark him, and going purely by instinct, she had a feeling it was a fake and she hit the ball out of his hands right as he was lowering it.

He looked at her, shocked that he had known. She gave him a cold look and walked way.

Izuki got the ball and passed it back to her when she was on the inside. Murasakibara was right there to guard her. Kagami pushed all her strength into her legs and jumped, she reached for the net but Murasakibara smacked the ball out of her hands… hard. The ball rolled out of bounds and she fell to the floor and landed on her side. She was more in shock than in pain as she laid there.

“Murasakibara!” Yosen’s captain ran over. “That was too strong! You were playing against a girl!”

“Are you sure?” Murasakibara looked at her.

The captain walked over and offered her his hand. “Let me help you up.”

Kagami politely accepted. And once she stood, he gave her one of the most awkward smiles she had ever seen. It took everything not to cringe and to smile back.

“Thank you.” She said and then went over to the rest of her team.

“Okamura… I think you scared her.” One of the other teammates said laughing.

And then Yosen called for a substitution. Himuro was put on the bench. Kagami watched him walk over, he had his head down. If she weren’t so mad, she’d have felt sorry for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You will get the full conversation between Alex and Himuro next chapter. And yeah Himuro came off as a real jerk in this one, but I guess he did in canon too lol. We'll start with his POV next chapter.
> 
> I don't think Midorima watched this game? But I threw him in there just to have someone else's POV to jump to.
> 
> Also I started a new story with fics for Her Shadow that aren't necessarily canon. It's titled Her Shadow: Extra Stories. The first one isn't a shipping fic because i didn't want to start out with one. But if I have time to edit tomorrow or Wednesday, I may have a short Aokaga fic.


	34. Yosen part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look what I managed to edit on a study break! But yeah wanted to finish this before I want back to studying for my last final just to get it out of my system. So here you go, the conclusion to the Yosen game.

Alex sighed when she saw Himuro being put on the bench. She had no idea what Kagami had said to him on the court but after watching her take of the ring, she knew it wasn’t good.

She was starting to give up hope that the two would ever be close again. That earlier conversation she had with Himuro replayed through her head.

_But what about Taiga? Do you still have feelings for her?_

_He turned, and there were tears in his eyes. That told her enough._

_“Tatsuya, if you keep this up, you’re only going to push her further away!”_

_“I know, I’ve already screwed everything up between us. Now I’m just trying to get over her and I can’t!” He yelled it loudly in English._

_“What do you mean? She wants to talk to you again you know?”_

_He shook his head. “No I can’t tell her about all that… and she’s friend’s with two of the generation of miracles, I won’t have a chance anyway." He threw his hands down. "I was the one that showed her how to play basketball! Why did she get so much better than me!"_

Alex understood, that conversation between the two would get awkward very fast, especially if Kagami had never felt the same towards him. But she still just wanted the two to talk so Kagami could get the explanation she deserved.

Back then, Kagami was always drawn to the boys that were better than her at the game. Even as a young teenager she’d go up and flirt with the boys in her age range who were among the best at street ball. This was around the time that she was getting better than Himuro at the game, and he noticed the types of boys she was going for.

So he’d practice and practice and practice, but Kagami only kept getting better than him.

Kagami was completely oblivious to his feelings for her. They had their childhood engagement, but once they learned what exactly happened when two people got married, the two became very embarrassed to even mention it.

Himuro had made it known to her that he loved Kagami. Alex told him to give it a few years and that they were too young for a serious relationship. But seeing how frustrated he was, especially with his friends teasing him about losing to her, Alex had tried to fix everything by having the two over for dinner, just to get them alone together. And it completely backfired. All Kagami could talk about was one of the guys she liked, how good he was at basketball, how she couldn’t score against him, and how cute he was. Himuro couldn’t take it and left early.

And now that they were older, things only got worse. She had hoped to have fun watching this game, but now it was anything but that.

* * *

 

Himuro sat on the bench and threw a towel over his head and rested his face in his hands. He had done it, any chance he had with Kagami was completely ruined.

Those last words she said to him stung. Not to mention that she took off that ring he had bought her years ago. He thought maybe he could move on from her after she had done that… but then he had to watch Murasakibara’s block knock her over, and like Okamura, he want to yell at his friend to be more careful.

Himuro just wanted to scream. He had a chance to fix everything but all he could ever do was make the situation worse. And all this over some stupid game when they were younger and some childish jealousy.

But despite everything, he still wanted to win. Not for her attention, but just so he himself could get better. He blinked… had he seen her as a rival all this time?

“Hey…” Masako approached him. “Get it together, we’re in the middle of a game and we need you.”

“I will.” He said a little harsher than intended. But she let it go.

He watched the game and focused on Kagami. She ran right up to guard Murasakibara, so confident even though she knew how much stronger he was than her. He laughed quietly. She hadn’t changed at all.

Studying her, he that she was far stronger and more agile than him, so Himuro knew that he could beat her in a one on one. But her shooting accuracy was no where near as good as his and he might have her with his mirage shot. Kagami was always one to jump right into things and not stop and watch.

His thoughts were interrupted when Kiyoshi fell over near Seirin’s bench. Himuro was so focused on Kagami that he hadn’t seen what had happened.

* * *

 

As soon as Kiyoshi hit the floor, Riko jumped up and ran over. Kuroko was already next to him. She had been worried that this would happen, especially now that he was going against a strong opponent like Murasakibara.

“Kiyoshi-senpai are you okay?” Kuroko asked.

Kiyoshi smiled. “I’m fine, I just slipped.”

Riko shook her head, knowing that he was lying. She had seen his knee buckle right before he fell.

He must have known that she wouldn’t believe him because he looked at her pleadingly. “I can still play.”

She wanted to tell him no, to sit on the bench. But the truth was, they couldn’t win this game without him. Not with three guys taller than anyone on their team. Kagami couldn’t take them all on her own. Murasakibara was already enough for her.

“Do you want to switch him out?” The ref asked.

Riko took a deep breath, hoping that she wouldn’t regret this. “No he can play.”

Kiyoshi mouthed thank you to her and then got up and walked back onto the court. She watched his knee, but he gave no indication that he was in pain.

Seirin kept up their energy. Kagami scored, and soon after, Hyuga scored a three. There was now a five point difference between the teams.

But then she eyed Murasakibara and he seemed much more intimidating and bigger than he was previously. It was the intense look that was now in his eyes.

“Um… Kuroko… what’s going on?” She asked.

* * *

 

She was guarding Yosen’s captain when she saw Murasakibara walking slowly towards offense. It was the first time she had seen him not under the net, and he looked as though he were out to kill someone. Kiyoshi ran and to guard him and gave her and Hyuga a look, indicating that he needed help.

So she ran over and the three triple teamed him when he was near the basket. But Murasakibara wasn’t bothered in the slightest. Yosen still passed the ball to him, and him being so tall, no one could block the pass. She might be able to knock it out of his hands if she jumped. But it was too late for her to do anything.

Murasakibara jumped spinning in midair, and dunked hard into the basket. So hard that the force was enough to knock all three of them to the ground.

Kagami pushed herself up to her knees. She should have been mad that he had so easily knocked her, Kiyoshi, and Hyuga to the ground, but she couldn’t help but be impressed by his strength.

Murasakibara gave them all a cold look. “Oh, I didn’t think you’d fall that easily.” He turned and walked away, back to defense.

 “Kagami are you okay?” Kiyoshi asked sitting up

“Yeah, but I should be asking you that question.” She looked at his knee.

“Just what is his problem.” Hyuga groaned.

Kiyoshi laughed. “I guess he wants to play offense now. I think we woke up the monster.”

* * *

 

Aomine wasn’t sure how to feel about what had just happened. It had been over a year since he had seen Murasakibara play offense… and he had only grown stronger. It made him wonder how he would have handled his dunk or if Murasakibara’s raw power would have knocked him over too.

He was no longer taking it easy on Kagami and that did annoy him. But she got up and didn’t seem the slightest bit hurt. In fact, she ran right to him, intending to keep him from guarding the other players on Seirin.

It almost made him laugh. Not even Murasakibara was enough to scare her.

“Do you think he’d hurt Tai-chan?” Momoi asked.

Aomine shook his head. “Not on purpose, I think he knows his strength… but he’s pretty pissed off right now.”

Murasakibara had always been lazy. In the middle of second year at Teiko, he stopped playing offense completely and would just stand under the net the entire game. The only reason they allowed him to do that was that everyone else’s offensive power was so strong that his wasn’t needed.

There was one time Aomine had played a one on one with him years ago…. They had a close game and Aomine started to do his street ball tricks, which frustrated Murasakibara and in response, he got very aggressive. So much that Aomine thought he was going to get hurt. He was lucky that Akashi had come outside and called off the game. Likely, Kuroko was the one that had gone inside to get him. Afterward, Akashi ordered Murasakibara to go inside and cool off.

But that wasn’t even half the amount of strength he was showing today.

He watched Murasakibara chase after Seirin’s point guard. The guy looked more like hew as running for his life. He passed to Kagami, and Aomine smiled when she scored two points. But this only made Murasakibara angrier.

The ball was given to Murasakibara. And he dribbled down the court, fast and with so much force that if anyone had gotten in front of them, he would have run them down and they likely would have been seriously injured.

Once he was near the basket, Kagami and Kiyoshi jumped to block, but he slammed the ball into the net knocking them both back to the ground. Murasakibara held on the rim and pulled the whole back board down. It hit the ground inches away from Kagami’s feet. She sat there shocked and looking at the fallen basketball net.

Aomine too, if that had hit her legs… He couldn’t even be impressed with what he had just seen.

“Mukkun!” Momoi’s snapped him out of his shock.

He felt the same as her and wanted to yell down to Murasakibara to tell him to calm down. Seriously, Kagami could have been injured.

She stood back up, and the ref called for a delay until the basket could be fixed.

* * *

 

“Taiga are you okay?” Kuroko asked as she sat down next to him.

“I’m fine.” She said although her heart was still pounding. “I wasn’t hit.”

“But…” Kuroko continued.

“Tetsuya I’m fine.” She knew she wasn’t getting anything past him, but she didn’t want to discuss it further. She had a game to win, and dwelling on the fact that she could have been hurt would only be a distraction.

She had never seen someone break a back board like that in person, and definitely not a high school student. Kagami didn’t think it was possible to break the newer style back boards.

But fine, if he didn’t want to hold back his strength, then she wouldn’t either.

When the basketball hoop was fixed, the teams walked back out onto the court and the game resumed. It was Seirin’s ball.

Izuki passed to her just as she crossed the three-point line. She jumped to score, forcing her arm as hard as she could to the net. But Murasakibara was there and he smacked the ball right out of her hand. Not even her strongest was enough to get through him.

Yosen got the ball and seeing that they were passing to Murasakibara, she ran to the other end of the court intending to meet him by the basket. Kiyoshi was with her. As he approached, they both jumped to block. She tried to hit the ball out of his hand but he slammed the ball hard into the basket.

This time she managed not to fall to the ground and took that as a small victory. But Kiyoshi did, and this time he couldn’t get back up. Kagami went to help his stand but Murasakibara got him first. He grabbed Kiyoshi’s hand and lifted him up into to hair, his feet dangling.

“Hey what are you doing!” Hyuga yelled.

“I’m helping him up.” Murasakibara said looking at Kiyoshi, not lowering him back to the ground. “Now do you see how cruel basketball can be?”

Kiyoshi didn’t respond, his knee was in too much pain.

Kagami groaned. “Come on, let him go!” She grabbed his arm and was nearly taken aback at how strong it was.

Murasakibara’s eyes widened at her touch and he dropped Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi hit the ground once again and Hyuga and Mitobe ran to his side.

“Hey what are you doing!” Murasakibara shook off her hand and his face was now red. “Why did you grab me like that!”

She blinked and did not expect that reaction. “Um… you did the same to Kiyoshi… just what the hell is your problem!”

He glared at her and didn’t seem to know what to say. And then walked away mumbling something about Himuro.

* * *

 

Kuroko watched his former teammate carefully as he walked over to the bench. Murasakibara sat down and stared at Kagami, who was helping Kiyoshi walk.

_Him too?_

Murasakibara was the hardest of his middle school friends to read, and Kuroko wasn’t sure if he had even acknowledged Kagami… but those looks he gave her told him otherwise.

His reaction to her grabbing his arm didn’t make much sense to Kuroko. Kagami had been close to him several times that game and there didn’t seem to be a problem. Although maybe it was just that a girl had purposefully touched him. But then again, he had always been fine with Momoi.

He now tried to imagine what those two would do together. Murasakibara always said that he hated basketball and that was the one thing Kagami loved the most. Then he realized that they both had very big appetites. The could spend their lives eating snacks together.

Kiyoshi sat down next to him and Riko looked at his knee. Kuroko got ready to sub in for him.

“I’m leaving this up to you.” Kiyoshi put his hand on his shoulder.

“We’ll win.” Kuroko said. He wanted to prove Murasakibara’s philosophy wrong, that hard work could pay off. So losing was not an option.

“You ready?” Kagami asked him.

“Yes, I’ll stop Murasakibara.”

“You?” Kagami raised her eyebrow at him. “I can barely handle him, you could really get hurt.”

He smiled. She wasn’t wrong, but he had watched Murasakibara for three years and he knew his play style. “Don’t worry, I think I know what to do.”

As he walked out, he noticed that Himuro was also put back onto the court. He had his eyes on Kagami but she wouldn’t look at him. The guy really didn’t want their friendship to end.

He walked by Murasakibara who frowned at him.

“Kuro-chin, you’re coming back into the game? You can’t win.”

He glared at Murasakibara. “I won’t lose to someone like you who rejects the hard work of others.” He and Murasakibara had gotten into a huge fight in middle school over whether hard work or raw talent was better. Murasakibara was a naturally gifted basketball player, while Kuroko had to work hard for a spot on first string. And despite having little to no talent, he was still valuable to both Teiko and now Seirin.

“Those stupid ideals are so annoying.” Murasakibara scoffed. “And I don’t care that you’re small I will crush you.”

Izuki passed him the ball. Kuroko was met by the small forward and once he knew that Kagami was behind him, he ran past him. It took about a second to coordinate with Kagami using his eyes.

And then Murasakibara stepped in front of him, looming over him. He shot the ball, Murasakibara raised his arm attempting to block it, but once again, he couldn’t see it. And he wasn’t aiming for the basket, it was a pass to Kagami. She caught it and slammed it hard into the net.

Now that Seirin was on defense, to everyone’s surprise, he ran over to mark Murasakibara. Murasakibara looked down at him.

“Kuro-chin?”

“I will stop you.”

Murasakibara scoffed and caught the ball. Knowing his next move, Kuroko got into place. It was the only way to stop Yosen’s next move. Murasakibara had lost track of him and when his turned around, his arms slammed into Kuroko.

It was like getting hit with a truck when Murasakibara collided with him and he fell to the ground.

“Kuro-chin?” Murasakibara blinked.

“Charging! White number 9! Seirin’s ball!”

For a moment, Murasakibara looked concerned, but then he glared at Kuroko, knowing he had done that on purpose.

Kagami ran over and held out her hand and he grabbed it.

“Tetsuya are you okay?” She pulled him up.

He nodded.

She frowned. “Why did you do that? You could have been seriously hurt.” She checked him over. “And you’re going to have a bruise.” She pointed to his arm.

“You already have four.” He responded. Two were already showing on her knees, one on her shin, and another above her elbow.

“Yeah but it’s different when it happens to me, I’m a lot bigger. Now let me handle him.” She pointed to Murasakibara who just scoffed.

He smiled. He liked when she when went into her over protective mode, regardless if it was needed.

* * *

 

Midorima nearly cringed when Kuroko was hit by Murasakibara. It was bad enough when he had to watch Kagami get knocked down by his sheer power. But Kuroko was so much smaller and weaker that for a moment, Midorima wondered if he would get back up. But he was now standing and ready to play again.

In middle school, it annoyed him when Murasakibara started to just stand under the net through the entire games, even if he wasn’t needed on offense. But looking at him now, it was probably for the best. Who knew how many middle school students would have ended up in the hospital.

Hyuga shot a three and then Seirin switched to a new strategy. It took Midorima a minute to realize that it was full court man to man defense. And when Kuroko stole a pass to Murasakibara, Midorima saw that this strategy made full use of Kuroko.

And then third quarter ended.

* * *

 

Alex watched her two students during the break. Himuro seemed to be okay and Kagami was as confident as ever.

It was hard for her to watch Kagami get knocked to the ground over and over. But Kagami was one of the only players on her team who could take that center. And with Kiyoshi out, she was the only one who had any hope of blocking his shots.

Fourth quarter began.

Kagami was immediately marking Himuro. Alex stopped breathing for a moment. It always left her tense when those two faced off against each other. Himuro managed to fake her out and then run right by her and then Kuroko attempted to steal, but his motions were too fluid and he shot the ball and scored.

At least what ever Kagami had said to him hadn’t affected his play. A small part of her still hoped that the two could become friends again. But it would be all on Himuro with maybe her talking to Kagami beforehand encouraging her to hear him out.

Hyuga had his three pointer blocked by Murasakibara. And soon after, Yosen had the ball. It was passed to Himuro who shot it, using that same mirage shot that Kagami couldn’t block. And it was no different this time. She jumped, reached her hand up, but was still too early.

Alex sighed. Kagami was going to have to figure out the trick to that shot. After doing it a few times, Alex had seen why it was getting by Kagami. And with both Himuro and Murasakibara on the court, Seirin was starting to struggle. The point gap was once again starting to widen.

* * *

 

Kagami tried to block Murasakibara’s shot, but the ball went into the basket. He was just too strong and she really needed Kiyoshi out there helping.

Kuroko was helping, and he was probably the reason that Yosen wasn’t at least ten points ahead. But they still weren’t closing the point gap. She had to get into the zone. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t enter. She thought back to Aomine and how she had entered in the Touou game.

_Okay just think of everyone that you’re going to disappoint if we lose this game._

But that didn’t work. It didn’t even get her close.

It was feeling hopeless. She didn’t have that anger that Himuro had caused at the beginning of the third quarter. Right now, she was indifferent to him.

Kuroko passed the ball to her, she was too focused on entering the zone that she almost didn’t notice until it was too late. Murasakibara ran up, and tried to steal the pass, but he anticipated that she would move and bumped into her, knocking her down.

The ref blew the whistle. “Charging! White number 9!”

“Murasakibara be more careful!” Okamura yelled. “That’s your third foul!”

Murasakibara only scoffed.

Kagami walked over to the side lines and saw that Kaijo had arrived. Their game was next. Kise smiled and waved at her. But she was too annoyed to react. She was about to throw the ball back into play when Kise spoke to her.

 “Kagamicchi, what are you doing?”

She looked at him, wondering why he was talking to her during a game.

“How am I going to ask you out on a date if I won’t get to play you in the semifinals?”

“I told you not to hit on her!” Kasamatsu yelled.

“It’s not like you’re going to win.” She glared at him. Her mind had now shifted to the semifinals. Kaijo couldn’t possibly be as difficult as Yosen.

“You won’t know if you don’t win this game.” He said. “Where’ the girl that I played against in that practice match? She was far scarier than you.” Then he looked over at Murasakibara. “Murasakibaracchi, looks like we’ll be playing each other next week.”

“Kise-chin don’t talk to me while I’m in a game.” He glared at him. “And I’m going to crush you next week.”

He ignored Mursakibara’s last statement. “You know, you should be gentler with Kagami, you don’t need to keep knocking her on the ground.”

“If I did that I’d never stop her.” Murasakibara mumbled.

Kise looked at her. “I really did want to ask you out. You could have bragged to everyone that you were dating a model.” He grinned. “But it looks like I won’t be able to now.”

“Kise…” Kasamatsu said coldly.

Kise walked back over to his team.

Kagami held the ball. He was trying to tell her something, what she didn’t know.

She threw the ball into play. Hyuga caught it.

Just what did Kise mean by her being scarier at that practice game? She didn’t think she was that bad. No where near Touou in the Winter Cup or even this game.

Then she glanced over at Himuro. She really didn’t want Yosen to win, not after what he put her through those three years. And Murasakibara, he needed to be brought down a peg. The guy was aggressive and nearly hurt a few of her teammates. She trained to hard to lose to both of them and she had too much to prove.

The last thing she wanted was a repeat of the inter high Touou game, where everyone blamed the loss on her. The same thing could happen if Seirin lost any of these games, even if she were the best player. No that wouldn’t happen again.

 And then all background noise and thoughts were blocked out.

* * *

 

“Kise.” Kasamatsu said coldly. “Just what was that?”

Kise shrugged. “I was just trying to help her-“

Kasamatsu slapped him on the back of his shoulder. “Is getting a date with her all you care about!”

“No!” He held his hands up. “I just really want Seirin to win!”

And he did. He wanted Kagami and Kuroko to win this game. They trained hard enough for it, and Kaijo as a whole wanted to play an official game against Seirin.

He focused on her, she was standing all odd, and then he noticed her eyes and grinned.

“Hey she’s in the zone!” He said practically cheering. It happened shortly after his little pep talk with her. “I wonder if she really does want that date!”

Kasamatsu rolled his eyes. “Do you really think she wants to win this game just so she can lose the next one?”

“Oh right.” He laughed. Seirin was not going to an easy game for the semifinals, especially with Kagami and Kuroko. Her going into the zone was going to make it hard enough.

But he really did wonder how his team would do against Yosen. Murasakibara was a very tough opponent, and Kise wasn’t sure if he would be able to handle him. They also had Himuro and from what Kise could see he was a very tough opponent. Not quite the level of the generation of miracles, but still strong and would be trouble on a team with Murasakibara.

“Who is number twelve?” Kasamatsu asked.

“Himuro? He’s Kagamicchi’s fiancé.” Kise said laughing.

“Her fiancé! And you asked her out on a date!”

“No!” He didn’t take into consideration Kasamatsu’s reaction. “It was something that they did as kids! He’s not really her fiancé!” At least, he hoped not.

* * *

 

Himuro had the ball about to do his mirage shot. Kagami was going to stop it even if it killed her. He got ready to shoot, and she jumped, higher than ever and ready to block. She grunted when the ball hit her in the chest and it had hit much later than expected. She now knew the trick behind it.

Himuro looked at her, his eyes wide.  And she ran off. Izuki had the ball and he passed to Kuroko, who passed to her. She jumped to score. Murasakibara came to block. But she maneuvered around him, doing a double clutch and slammed it into the net.

* * *

 

Alex jumped up and cheered when Kagami scored those points. It was the first time she had seen her in the zone and it truly was impressive. She was faster and her motions more fluid. She hated to admit it, but Alex wasn’t sure if she could take her on a one on one when she was in this state.

Kagami went to mark Himuro, and this time, she jumped up and knocked the ball out of his hand. Alex wanted to cheer but the look on Himuro’s face made her a little sad. He was finally seeing Kagami play at one hundred percent and he must have known that he had no chance of surpassing her in this game.

Alex did want to see Himuro catch up to her skill wise, but she wasn’t sure if that would be possible.

Kagami had the ball and she maneuvered around him to get to the basket. Himuro couldn’t even follow her.

She shook her head. But then Alex took a closer look at Yosen's coach. It was impressive that although she was so tiny she could handle all those big basketball players. Alex smiled. She was also pretty cute.

* * *

 

Kagami ran to the basket at full force and jumped. Murasakibara was there, his eyes full of rage. But he didn’t scare her, she was going to score. She avoided his block and slammed it into the basket hard, so much that the force knocked him to the ground.

She smirked, taking pride in the fact that she could over power him and had given him a taste of his own medicine, even if only in the zone.

Murasakibara looked up at her, shocked at what had happened. But he didn’t seem angry, just intrigued.

And then Yosen called a time out.

* * *

 

Himuro walked slowly over to the bench. Kagami’s play… it was beyond anything he had ever played against. He saw her go into the zone during the Touou game, but to actually play against that… There was no way he could beat her alone.

Murasakibara sat on the bench and threw a towel over his head.

“Sub me out.” He said. “I’m done.”

“Um… Murasakibara… what do you mean by that?” Okamura asked.

“I don’t want to play a game that I can’t win. It’s pointless.”

His insides went cold. Murasakibara was Yosen’s only chance to win. And now he just wanted to quit.

“Give me that sword, I’m going to kill him.” He over heard the coach.

Himuro wanted to win, and not just because of Kagami. Although a small part of him still wanted her approval, even though she was far better than him. But he still wanted to try. And Murasakibara was just throwing all his potential way because he might lose.

But he wanted to be on the team that would win the Winter Cup.

He grabbed Murasakibara by the shirt and pulled him up.

“Why would you just give up like that! Do you know how much I would give to have talent like yours!” His eyes were welling up with tears.

Murasakibara rolled his eyes. “It doesn’t matter if we win, you’re not good enough to impress Kaga-chin… and what you’ve told me about her, she’s more likely to want me.”

Fukui slapped Murasakibara over the head. “Why would you say that!” He yelled. “You don’t go for your friend’s girl!”

Masako scoffed.

Himuro wasn’t bothered at all by what Murasakibara had said and barely noticed Fukui.

“I know that!” he yelled. “I know I can’t take her by myself! But I still want to win! Just please play till the end!”

Murasakibara sighed and stood up. “I need a hair tie.”

He could only assume that Murasakibara was now getting serious, or he hoped. The look on his face once his hair was tied back told him that he was going to play all out and that may be enough to stop Kagami.

When the time out ended, Himuro walked over to her. She wouldn’t even look his way. But he stood next to her.

“Taiga… I know you’re not going to say anything… that’s what you’ve always done when you were mad at someone. But I know you’re listening.” He paused and gathered his thoughts. “You really are amazing, I could never beat you on my own. However… we’re going to win this game.”

She glared at him but didn’t say anything.

* * *

 

_Rewind about two minutes._

She had no idea what was going on over by Yosen’s bench. Just that Himuro was yelling at Murasakibara and his tone sounded a little desperate. But she couldn’t make out what he was saying. Still, despite everything, she felt a little bad for him.

Riko and Kiyoshi walked back into the gym. Kiyoshi’s knee had a fresh bandage wrapped around it.

“Kiyoshi… are you going to play?” Izuki asked his face lighting up.

He nodded. “Riko fixed by knee, I’m good to go.” He smiled.

“Are you sure?” Hyuga asked.

“Hey don’t worry about me, we have a game to win.”

Though Kagami was also worried about him she was a bit relieved. Her zone was running out and she didn’t know if she could continue to take Murasakibara on her own. Now that he had his hair up, he looked much stronger, as if he were just getting started.

* * *

 

It had been years since Aomine had seen Murasakibara pull his hair back, first year of middle school at best. It was what he did when during a difficult game and he needed to go all out against him opponent.

But he had also never seen anyone force Murasakibara to fall from pure force and not an ankle break, and it was Kagami of all people who had done that. Now he was wondering just how strong she was in the zone.

She and Murasakibara were in a shooting match, each scoring against the other, the point gap never changing. He was on the edge of his seat watching. Her zone was running out but she was still going strong.

One time he thought Murasakibara was going to block her, but she pulled the basketball away from his hand and dunked on the other side of him.

“Did you see that!” He nearly jumped up and cheered.

“Yeah Kagami is amazing!” Momoi yelled. And then looked at him. “Dai-chan… you really are excited for her.”

“What-“ His face got hot. Damn it, he’d have to watch himself next time.

One of her shots didn’t even come close to making it, but Kiyoshi grabbed the rebound and threw it back to Hyuga, who shot and scored a three. There was now a one-point difference between the teams.

“Seirin might win!” Momoi smiled.

He was about to agree, there was twenty seconds left on the clock, enough time for Seirin to score one more point. But then he saw Murasakibara’s eyes.

_So you really do like basketball._

* * *

 

Just one more basket and they could win. They just had to stop Yosen for scoring. She kept her eyes on Murasakibara and Himuro. Those two would likely get the ball. Her zone was almost out and she would have to act fast.

The ball was given to Murasakibara. She was closer to the net than him but he came running at full force. She jumped to block his shot, but as she touched the ball… he was stronger than ever and he was going to overpower her.

Kiyoshi ran up behind and touched the touched the ball with her. With their combined strength, they managed to push the ball out of Murasakibara’ s hands. Izuki got it and ran back down the court. Kagami ran after him. Murasakibara followed only now much faster… he had to be in the zone.

She ran past Himuro. If they were going to win she couldn’t be anywhere he could block her. She called out to Izuki and he passed her the ball. Murasakibara was under the net waiting.

When she reached the free throw line, using the last bit of her zone,  she jumped. It caught him off guard, and Murasakibara jumped forward to block but she threw it over his head and into the net.

She landed and stood there. Her team started to celebrate… but there was still five seconds left on the clock.

“It’s not over yet!” She yelled.

The point guard threw the ball to Murasakibara and he was already half way down the court. She ran but would never make it.

He was about to jump and dunk, but legs refused to lift. He looked down at his feet annoyed. All that jumping earlier in the game with his huge body had weakened his knees.

He scoffed and got ready to throw it in. But Kuroko was already down at that end of the court. Before Murasakibara could raise his arms to shoot, Kuroko smacked the ball out of his hand.

And then the buzzer went off.

They won. The stadium erupted into cheers and then Kagami started cheering. She was interrupted when Kiyoshi threw his arm around her. Kuroko walked over and she wrapped her free arm around him and he hugged her back.

“Kuroko… how did you do that?” She asked squeezing him tighter.

“I just knew he couldn’t jump anymore.” He said.

Himuro was nearby, it was tempting to gloat about the win. But even though she was angry with him, she knew how much the game meant to him and chose not to rub his loss into his face.

After the line-up, she looked at him one last time. She didn’t smile, only sighed and walked away.

“Murasakibara let’s play again someday.” Kiyoshi said offering his hand.

Murasakibara batted his hand away. “No way I’m quitting basketball, I only kept playing because Muro-chin wanted me to… but it’s still boring.” He stomped off.

Kagami rolled her eyes. “It didn’t look he was bored.” She would gladly admit that the guy was very good, he had given her quite the game and it seemed like a waste for him to quite just because he lost.

Kuroko just smiled. “He’s not going to quit.”

“Are you sure?” She raised her eye brow.

“Yes… because he really does love basketball.”

She noticed Murasakibara at the bench hunched over and pushing his teammates away and refusing to look at them.

As they walked to the locker room, Kagami had a nagging feeling that she should say something to Himuro. He was one of the first friends she had ever had and the oldest. They had been through so much together in America. But she kept telling herself that there was no need. As she had told him earlier, they were done.

The boys had to be quick in the locker rooms because Kaijo would need t hem, but she could have taken her time in the girls. Riko was with her and wouldn’t stop talking about her final dunk and asked how she jumped that high and far.

“I really don’t know.” Kagami said putting her shirt on. “I just really wanted to win and I knew Murasakibara would have blocked my shot if I had gone in closer.”

When they left, they passed Kaijo. Kise moved closer to her.

“Hey,” he said smiling. “We’ll see you next week.”

She smiled and nodded.

“Hey what is with you two?” Riko asked.

“Nothing we’re just friends.” She shrugged.

Riko was about to say something more but she sighed. “You know what, I’m just going to take your word for it, because I question your relationship with Kuroko too… but are you really going on a date with him if you lose?”

She nodded. “Yeah why not? It could be fun.” If any of the Teiko miracles had asked her on a date she would have accepted. They were all interesting in their own way and they loved basketball. She could only ever see herself spending her life with someone else who loved basketball.

They met Kuroko near the entrance to the stands. Seirin was going to watch Kaijo’s game and she was about to walk in with him and Riko, but he stopped her.

“Um Kagami, can I talk to you?”

“Sure what is it?”

Riko walked in ahead of them.

 “I’m not happy.” He said with little emotion in his voice.

She looked at him. “Why? We just won that game. How can you not be happy?”

“It’s about Himuro… are you okay leaving things like that?”

She groaned. “Kuroko… I told you that I’m done with him. I don’t need someone like him in my life.” She just wanted to just walk in, find the team, and forget about it all. Move on from that part of her life.

“Um… I think you might have misunderstood him.” He opened his hand revealing the ring.

“Huh?” she blinked looking at it. “Kuroko, you were supposed to get rid of that. And you barely know Himuro, how can you possibly think this was all a misunderstanding? He doesn’t like losing to girls. And if he can’t handle that, how am I supposed to get along with him?”

Kuroko shook his head. “I think there’s more to it than that. I kept watching him during the game… it really hurt him when you told him that you were done. And he kept looking at you like he had some regret.” Kuroko looked down at the ring. “If you really wanted to get rid of this, you would have done it yourself. And you were angry, I though it might have been an impulse decision, so I didn’t throw it away.”

She scoffed. If he really didn’t want her out of his life he had plenty of chances to talk to her the past three years. But… thinking about it, she did still want answers.

Kuroko handed her the ring. “He just went out those doors.” He pointed. “I think you should consider talking to him…. I don’t want you to regret this later.”

She sighed. Himuro would be leaving for Akita tomorrow. If she didn’t talk to him now it could be months before she would see him again… if he didn’t come back to Tokyo and watch the semifinals and finals.

“Save me a seat.” She said and walked out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Himuro I just want to give you a hug. And you're about to run into Haizaki.
> 
> I always felt that a one on one between Murasakibara and Aomine would have been close. Murasakibara was said to have the most natural talent when it came to basket ball, he had fast reflexes and was good at both offense and defense. But sadly Murasakibara kind of got the raw end of the narrative deal. He got one game, and the least character development out of all the GOM. I'll use him more in future chapters. 
> 
> One of the reasons that basketball became boring for him was that he couldn't play to his full potential because he could have hurt someone. It woudl have been nice if in canon, Kagami could have taken his rough play and made basketball fun for him again. (Simular to how he did for Aomine.) Jason Silver should not be the only person that Murasakibara can play to his full strength with. But this would have given him more of a connection to Kagami like the four (counting Kuroko) in Tokyo had. And some character development.
> 
> I also think that Kuroko imagines what Kagami's relationship would be like with each of his middle school teammates.


	35. The Original Fifth Man

Murasakibara threw his bag over his shoulder and was still sulking from the loss. He still couldn’t believe that he had been knocked down by the sheer force of another person. He had been knocked to the ground before, but that was with Akashi’s ankle break, not by someone else’s strength.

And it was Kagami of all people. Seirin’s girl, Himuro’s childhood friend... also the same girl that he was annoyingly in love with, and Kuroko’s new light. Nothing about her made sense. She may be tall but he was still much bigger and stronger. He should have won.

He wanted to hit something. Ever since the game ended he couldn’t stop thinking about her and it was pissing him off. The game was over, he should no longer concern himself with her. But no matter what he’d turn his mind to, she’d creep right into his thoughts.

He tried to think about the snacks he was going to eat when he got back to his hotel room. But he imagined eating them with her. So he thought about being home and making sweets… but again she was there in the kitchen helping him. Out of desperation he thought about basketball but that was the absolute worst if he was trying to get his mind off Kagami. Because now he was replaying that game in his head, guarding her, blocking her shots, running at her with full strength and still getting blocked while she was in the zone.

He shook his head. It was all annoying.

“Murasakibara come on.” Okamura said grabbing his shoulder. “The next game is going to start soon; don’t you want to watch?”

“No.” He scoffed. But the truth was, he did. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but he was curious to see who would win between Kise and Haizaki.

* * *

 

Kagami walked around outside searching for Himuro. The fact that it was dark and others that were not staying for the next game were still about making their way home made that difficult. She saw a few people that looked like him from a distance, and was disappointed when disappointed when she got a closer look.

She sighed and was about to give up. The next game was starting soon, and she had no idea if he would even want to talk. If he hadn’t for the past three years there was no reason to believe he would now.

But then she spotted him around a corner talking to two other people.

For a moment, she smiled happy and was ready to go talk to him. But then she took pause. Kagami had no idea what to say to him. He also likely still upset that he lost that game that he had been desperate to win. So she walked slowly.

“Hey Tatsuya.” She called out when she was within hearing range. “I want to talk.”

He didn’t answer. It was unlikely that he hadn’t heard her, and she was about to walk away, but something urged her forward. She continued deciding that if he didn’t want to talk, then he’d just have to tell her with words.

“Ta-“

The guy he was talking to swung at him and hit him hard in the face.  Himuro fell to the ground with his hands over one side of his head. Then the guy kicked him in the stomach. Himuro grunted and pulled his knees close to him.

Kagami stood still, shocked at what had just happened. She snapped out of it when the guy lunged at Alex, the third person with them.

Adrenaline rushed through her and she ran.

“Hey!” She cried out about to grab him and slam him into the wall behind him.

But before he grabbed Alex, he stopped and turned to face her. Kagami recognized him immediately. It was Haizaki, the asshole from the Touou/Kaijo game from the inter high.

 “Kagami get out of here!” Alex yelled walking slowly towards Himuro.

“No! I’m not leaving you two!” She yelled and turned to Haizaki. “What the hell is wrong with you!”

Haizaki smirked. “Oh it’s you.” He licked his lips and then took a step close to her. “After I win tonight, I’ll be playing you in the semifinals.”

“What…” It took her a moment to realize that his team would be playing Kaijo. And then she remembered that Kise had never beaten this guy. Thinking back to the inter high, his and Kise’s teams had lost the quarter finals, both to teams with members of the generation of miracles. That fact alone made it impossible to determine which one was stronger.

“As for him.” Haizaki pointed to Himuro. “He got in my way, and guys like him piss me off.”

She clenched her fist. One hit should have him on the floor. She had no idea what he meant about Himuro getting in his way, but she didn’t care. And maybe if she kept this guy busy Alex could get Himuro back inside.

“Taiga don’t! If you’re caught, you’ll be disqualified for the rest of the season!” Himuro gasped and gripped his stomach tighter.

She wanted to tell him to shut up, but he was right. Haizaki wasn't attacking her anyway so she relaxed her fist.

Haizaki laughed. “Do you really want to fight me? I'm not sure if I can fight a girl…” He eyed Alex. “We should have a threesome instead, now that he’s out of our way.”

 Kagami blinked. This guy couldn’t be for real. “Ew no!”

“Don’t you have a game soon?” Alex eyed him coldly.

He glared at Kagami. “What’s that supposed to mean? Am I not good enough for you?” He started to walk slowly towards her.

She brought her hands up and ready for a fight. “You really want to try me?”

“Taiga don’t!” Alex said standing up and running towards her.

“I can handle him.” She wasn’t going to have much of a choice. She had no doubt that she could take this guy but it was comforting to know that she had Alex to back her up. 

“Oh you’re going to regre-“

“Hey!” a voice interrupted them. She wasn’t about to turn her back to see who it was with Haizaki so close, but she didn’t need to, she recognized Kise’s voice immediately.

Haizaki looked past her and she almost face palmed. This guy just gave her a easy shot to his face.

“Ryouta? Did you come to save your girlfriend?”

Kise ignored him and walked up to Kagami and put his hand on her shoulder. “Kagamicchi, I’ll handle this, don’t fight this guy.”

“You?” She raised her eyebrow at him. “No, you’ll get beat up.”

He laughed. “Yeah you’re right I probably would. But I’m not going to fight him.” He turned his attention back on Haizaki and spoke in a more serious voice. “Why don’t you leave them alone and we’ll settle this on the court.”

Haizaki laughed. “Sure, but Ryouta you’ve never beaten me in a game…” He paused and mumbled, “and you still took my spot on the team.” He kicked the ground. “But I’m going to win today, and then I’ll prove to everyone that I should have been part of the generation of miracles and not you!”

Kagami tilted her head. “Um I’ve already beat four of them… and you lost to Murasakibara in the semifinals… wouldn’t I be a better choice as the fifth man?”

“Taiga don’t add fuel to the fire.” She could almost see Alex shaking her head.

Haizaki nearly lunged at her. “Oh you are not going to win the semifinals!” He started to walk slowly towards her.

Kagami brought her arms up again, ready for him to get violent, but Kise stepped in front of her. She was about to push him to the side. But Alex walked forward.

“Enough of this, you need to go back to your team.” Alex said firmly.

“Yeah and you’re outnumbered anyway.” Kagami added.

That must have been enough to get it into his head that attacking a group of four people was not a good idea, because he started to walk away.

“Fine, whatever. I’ll see you in a few minutes Ryouta.” He stopped and turned. “I hope you’re still not mad that I took your girlfriend back in middle school. I mean, all I had to do was win that one on one and she left you for me right there.”

Kagami glared at him. The guy was too desperate to get one last jab at Kise and of all things to choose...

“There must have been something wrong with her eyes.” She said said.  

Haizaki looked like he wanted to run back and strangle her. But he just scoffed, and he kept walking.

Once he was far enough away. Kise laughed. “Thank you for that one Kagamicchi.”

“Yeah… did that really happen?” Looking at them both it was hard for her to believe that a girl would leave Kise for Haizaki. Especially over a basketball game.

“Kind of… the girl wasn’t actually my girlfriend, just someone that hung around and wanted to brag to her friends that she was dating a model.” He said.

“Oh…” She said unsure of how to feel about that. But from the two times that she met him, Haizaki didn’t exactly seem like the brightest.

She turned towards Alex and Himuro. Alex was helping him stand up. He held his stomach as he got to his feet.

“Are you two okay?” She asked.

“I’ll be fine.” Himuro said steadying himself and then standing without Alex’s help. “What about you?”

“Nothing happened to me.” She shrugged.

“Kagamicchi… I need you to tell me on thing.” Kise paused and then looked at Alex. “Who is that beautiful woman?”

Alex grinned.

 “That’s Alex. She was mine and Tatsuya’s teacher.”

“Huh?” He blinked. “I didn’t know your teacher was a woman.”

“Yeah I kind of forgot to tell everyone.” Kagami sighed.

The four of them started to walk back to the gym. Looking at the time, Kaijo would be going to their locker rooms soon.  

“Tatsuya, what happened?” Kagami asked. She was trying to figure out just why Haizaki had attacked him. The only explanation she could think of was the game they played during the inter high.

Himuro scoffed. “He hit on Alex and when she turned him down he started to get very demanding. I told him to back off and then he just attacked me.” Himuro said. “I really wasn’t expecting it.”

“Yeah he’s always been trouble.” Kise said. “Akashicchi made him quit the team in middle school.”

She had known that for months now and had her own unsettling encounter with him. Kagami wondered how many other people he had attacked because he didn’t get his way. And thinking to that story he told, he wondered what happened between him and that girl and if she were okay after.

They reached the stadium. Warm ups for the next game were over and both teams were in their locker room.

“Hey,” Kagami said before Kise walked away. “Don’t lose to that guy.”

He smiled at her. “I don’t plan to.” Then he grinned. “How am I going to ask you out on that date if I can’t play you in the next game?”

She frowned. “You’re not winning the semifinals.”

Kise laughed. “Just cheer me on, and then I can’t lose. But I really have to go, my captain is not going to be happy that I took so long outside.”

With that, he left them.

Kagami turned to face Alex and Himuro, now relieved that she had taken Kuroko’s advice to go out an talk to him. Who knows what would have happened if she hadn’t been out there.

“Taiga,” Alex spoke. “Thank you for helping us. But I was really worried you were going to get hurt.”

Kagami folded her arms. “I could have taken him.” Everything that happened with Haizaki put her in a bad mood. She almost didn’t want to watch the next game and just go home, but she was going to watch for Kise. If she were being honest, she was a little worried about the game.

“Yeah… and I would have helped, but I still worry.” Alex said smiling. “Men like him are dangerous.”

She nodded and then eyed Himuro.

“Can we talk?” Although she planned to watch the next game it was now or never. As long as she was there for the second half.  

Himuro nodded.

Alex smiled. “I’ll leave you two alone-“

As she finished, the rest of Yosen’s team walked by, about to enter the gym. They took notice of Himuro right away and stopped. Murasakibara made eye contact with Kagami, and then instantly looked away.

“Hey Himuro, we were looking for you!” Their now former captain called out to him. “Come on, the  next game is about to start…” He blinked. “Hey why are you with Kagami? And who is that other lady?”

“Where is he?” The coach walked from behind the three tall guys and made her way over at a brisk pace, holding her wooden katana and about to scold him. But then she caught sight of Alex and she stopped cold.

 “Um… who is this?” She eyed Himuro and her voice was shaky.

“This is Alexandra Garcia.” Himuro said. “She was my basketball teacher in America.”

Masako’s face got red. “Alexandra Garcia! The WNBA player!”

Alex grinned. “Yeah, I played back in the day. And you are?”

Masako gulped and for a moment it seemed as though she had forgotten who she was. But she finally spoke.

“I’m Araki Masako, blood type B, Capricorn…” Her words ran together and when she stopped, she looked mortified at all the information she had given.

Alex laughed, walked over and put her arm around her shoulder. “Would you like to get a drink later?”

Masako opened her mouth, but words would just not come out. So she nodded.

Alex pointed at Kagami and Himuro. “These two need to talk some things out. How about I sit in Tatsuya’s spot and we’ll watch the game together.”

Masako nodded again.

Yosen walked into the gym with Alex and Masako leading. Murasakibara took one last look back at her and Himuro while chewing on a chip and seemed a little disappointed that Himuro wouldn’t be watching with him.

“Um… what just happened?” Himuro spoke once Yosen was in the gym.

“I think your coach is Alex’s new girlfriend.” Kagami laughed. Then she got more serious. “Are you ready to talk?”

He nodded.

The game was beginning when they found a secluded spot. Kagami could hear cheering in the distance. A few people walked by but paid them no mind.

Kagami and Himuro both sat quietly, neither knowing what to say to each other. It had been so long since they had just talked that she felt like she barely knew him. Other than basketball she had no idea what he liked anymore or what had been going on in his life the past three years.

“So that game…” Kagami started and then regretted it. Himuro likely didn’t want to talk about a game he just lost. And adding to that the whole reason they had that falling out was that she had gotten better than him at basketball.

“Yeah it was close.” He said and then breathed. “Taiga, you really are amazing, I don’t think I’ll ever be as good as you.” He kept eye contact with her and she could tell that it was hard for him to do.

“Hey you’ve gotten really good too.” She said. “That mirage shot… that was annoying, you’re shorter than me, I shouldn’t have had that much trouble stopping it.”

He looked at her as if he couldn’t believe what she had just said. “But you did stop it…”

“Yeah I had to let it smack into me.” She folded her arms. “And you can fake it anyway, it’s not like I can rely on that… not that I’d want to.” Getting hit by the ball, it had hurt more than she’d admit.

He smiled but then became serious. “And… um… I’m sorry for everything that I put you through these past three years.”

She looked away. Kagami was happy that he had apologized but she wasn’t sure how to respond. Saying “it’s okay” just didn’t seem right.

“I’m just glad that you’re talking to me now.” She finally said. “And… maybe I should have told those guy that were making fun of you to shut up.”

Himuro looked away again. She had touched a sore spot but she felt like she had to say something and take a little responsibility for what had happened. And if they were going to talk about what had happened, this needed to be brought up.

“Um… it wasn’t just because you were a girl.” He said and squeezed his hands together.

“Huh?” She tilted her head and waited for him to continue.

Himuro looked around. There were other people standing nearby and even though they had been speaking English, he still didn’t seem comfortable possibly being over heard.

“I don’t think I can talk about it here.”

She sighed. They really did have a lot to discuss. It really could take hours and first quarter was likely almost over.

“I did want to watch the game…” Kagami said looking at the time. “Would you want to watch it with me, and then after, we can go back to my apartment and talk? You can stay the night.”

“Um sure… as long as you are okay with it.”

“I was the one that asked you.” She rolled her eyes. She wouldn’t have invited him over if she weren’t okay with it.

“Oh and…” She pulled the ring out of her pocket and put it over her head.

Himuro’s eyes widened. “You still have it?”

“Yeah… I could never get rid of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haizaki... I have no idea what he was doing attacking someone when there was likely a bunch of people nearby. So I always figured he wasn't too bright. 
> 
> I also wanted Kagami and Himuro to reconcile before the final game. So they're having a sleepover. (platonic lol)
> 
> And as you can see I toned down the Haizaki encounter. I didn't have him strangle Alex because that should have been very traumatic for her and she walked away like it was no big deal. So he didn't here because I feel like I'd have to write an angsty follow up to it. I mean... there should still be some trauma for the characters, but I'm just going to have to rationalize it as everyone thinks Haizaki is pathetic and do not see him as a real threat.
> 
> Just for fun, some Kagami crack ships.
> 
> Kagami x Kasamatsu: After telling his team not to hit on her, they're a bit miffed that he becomes her boyfriend. Maybe him telling his other teammates to stay away was his way of clearing away the competition.
> 
> (Kaijo, you somehow managed to be the most unmemorable team. Kasamatsui is the only team member I know besides Kise. There's the guy that wants a girlfriend but I had too look up his name and what he looked like.)
> 
> Kagami x Takao: I only brotp them. But I could see him being flattered that she chose him over one of the GOM.
> 
> Kagami x Miyagi: He's probably my favorite tertiary character. Blame it on his backstory. I think these two would be cute. 
> 
> Kagami x Otsubo: Big over protective boyfriend. 
> 
> Kagami x Imayoshi: Um yeah, no one lets this happen, especially Aomine and Momoi. 
> 
> Kagami x Wakamatsu: I shipped them for a hot minute in the hot springs chapter. I feel like he'd get annoyed very quick by everyone asking about his relationship. (Also thought he was the most random edition to Vorpal Swords but oh well.)
> 
> Kagami x Sakurai: Kagami will never have gotten so many apologies. And everyone is more afraid for him than her.
> 
> Kagami x Okamura: Well everyone believes that it must be true love because this world is full of hot basketball players and she chooses him.
> 
> Kagami x Fukui: One of the few people on Yosen that is shorter than her. (lol the other being Himuro) Murasakibara is jealous. Masako threatens him to treat her well.
> 
> Kagami and Mibuchi: Mibuchi isn't into women but Brotp them hard. 
> 
> Kagami x Hayama: Okay... because he talks about how many fingers he uses when he dribbles, my mind just goes dirty with these two. 
> 
> Kagami x Nebuya: She doesn't have to act like a proper lady around him. I feel like he'd be very over protective and affectionate.
> 
> Kagami x Mayazumi: for some reason, this ship just makes me laugh. Like imagine them interacting. And then imagine everyone's reaction to them dating. 
> 
> Kagami x Hanamiya: Well if he gets within five feet of her he'd have to face Akashi's wrath... so it's not happening.


	36. Kise vs Haizaki

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the Kise vs Haizaki game. Where Kagami and the rest of Seirin is just a spectator.

She led Himuro into the gym, through the same entrance Kuroko and Riko had used. It was crowded and they would likely have to sit somewhere in the back. Still she wanted to find her team to at least let them know that she wouldn’t be sitting with them.

Kagami had wanted to sit with her team and watch the game. They had that promise with Kaijo that they would play each other in a real game, but she wasn’t going to leave Himuro to sit by himself. Besides, Kaijo was guaranteed to win anyway.

But when she checked the scoreboard, Kaijo was down five points and they were nearing the end of the second quarter. She blinked, checking it again, unable to believe that they would be losing this game, especially with Kise.

“No way…” She said.

“I did play against that guy in the inter high…” Himuro started. “He was very good, we couldn’t have won without Murasakibara.”

Kagami knew Haizaki was good, and that he would have been one of the generation of miracles if Kise hadn’t joined the team… but she didn’t want to believe that he could possibly be better. The guy just seemed dumb, over confident and full of himself and she had just assumed that he was overselling himself.

She scanned the court and found Kise, Haizaki was marking him. Kise tried to run by but Haizaki stole the ball, using a move similar to what Izuki did… only it was strangely different. Months ago, Kuroko had told her that Haizaki’s ability was almost the same as Kise’s, only he stole someone ability by changing the rhythm… But Haizaki had never played against Izuki so that couldn’t be her teammates…

Still, she couldn’t believe that Kise had the ball stolen from so easily.

She and Himuro walked along the by the balcony looking for Seirin. They didn’t have to look for long. Kiyoshi called out to her and waved. Her team was right at half court and not too far from the front.

Kagami made eye contact with Kuroko, about to tell him that she wouldn’t be sitting with them, but then she saw that there were two empty seats next to him. One had his jacket resting in the seat and the other his gym bag.

They worked their way through the row over to the empty seats, squeezing past people. Hyuga and Izuki eyed them, likely wondering why a guy from Yosen was going to sit with them.

“You saved two seats?” She said sitting next to Kuroko.

He smiled and nodded.

“But how did you know… Oh never mind.” There was no point in questioning it. The seats Seirin had were pretty good and he likely saved two figuring that if she and Himuro worked things out that they would want to watch the game together.

She stared at the scoreboard.  Second quarter had just ended and Kaijo was still down, now seven points. There was enough time to catch up, but still… this wasn’t how she expected this game to go.

“They’re really losing?” She eyed Kuroko.

Kuroko sighed. “He is playing against Haizaki… I guess I should have known that his team would have gotten this far… I just wish that his opponent was Shutoku or Razukan.”

“We met Haizaki outside, he gave us some trouble-“

“Huh?” Kuroko looked over at her and then must have noticed Himuro’s bruise. “Are you two alright?”

“I am.” Kagami said and then folded her arms. “And of course I would be, I could have taken him, but Tatsuya… he got punched before I got there.” She pointed and Himuro sighed. “But Kise came out and helped us, and... Haizaki said somethings… but I thought he would be alright.”

Kuroko shook his head. “Haizaki was always trouble… but I didn’t know he would do that,” He kept looking at the bruise which Himuro was now covering with his hand. “I didn’t want him to quit basketball but…”

“Don’t worry about it, we’re fine.” Kagami said. She really didn’t want Kuroko of all people to feel bad about what happened. He had nothing to do with it and Kagami worried that he’d go confront Haizaki after the game.

“I just need Kise to win. We’re supposed to play him next week, right?” she smiled at him.

Kuroko only nodded but kept looking over at Himuro.

Third quarter started up. Kagami sat on the edge of her seat, hoping that Kaijo could get it together. Kasamatsu has specifically made that promise with Hyuga months ago. This was his third year and he wouldn’t get another chance to play against Seirin.

But watching him… he was a mess. Kasamatsu went to shoot, but it was so sloppy that he looked like a beginner, not the captain. Haizaki got the rebound and took it to the other end of the court. And then he shot the ball, using the same form as Kasamatsu.

“Is there anyway to stop him?” Kagami asked.

Kuroko shrugged. “I don’t know of any, I’ve never played a game against him.”

Kise now had the ball. He copied Kagami’s move, the one she did when she first challenged him to that one on one when they met, but it wasn’t as strong or as clean as it was back then. It looked more like someone trying hard to imitate someone else and almost failing. 

He went to shoot, but Haizaki easily blocked the ball.

Kagami sat back and stared. Though she hadn’t watched many of Kaijo’s games, she had never seen anyone block Kise’s shots outside of her and Aomine.

Then Haizaki copied the same move, almost to perfection, changing the rhythm and scored. He walked by Kise, almost purposefully bumping into him.

“Is there anyone he can’t copy?” Kagami asked annoyed that he had copied her, or copied someone that copied her.

“Like Kise, he can’t copy any of the generation of miracles.” Kuroko said.

“So he couldn’t do your pass? Or your shot?” If Kaijo lost, she wondered if Seirin would have to rely on Kuroko to win. That is, if he could copy all of her moves.

“In middle school he couldn’t.” Kuroko said.

Then she eyed Himuro. “You played against him. What about you?”

Himuro shook his head. “He couldn’t copy my mirage shot, I don’t think he ever figured out how it worked. And of course he couldn’t copy Atsushi. But the others… Okamura, Fukui, and Lu Wei could barely play after the first quarter… the whole game was just me and Atsushi.”

“Did Murasakibara go on offense?”

“No. He wasn’t needed, and he blocked every one of their shots, I really only needed to score one basket to win.” Himuro looked at her. “You really were the first to make him do that.”

She would have taken pride in that, if only it weren’t for the current game. She was now nervous about playing Haizaki in the semifinals. If he couldn’t copy Himuro, then maybe he couldn’t copy her. He likely couldn’t jump as high as her… maybe she could start the game using all her jumping moves and maybe he would hurt his knees early. Or figure out how to make her play look more feminine. Knowing his attitude, she didn’t think he’d dare copy that. Only… she’d need more than a week to completely changer her play style, and he’s probably change it to look more manly anyway.

Kagami shook her head for thinking about the semifinals… she couldn’t give up on Kaijo just yet.

_Come on Kise…_

Third quarter ended.

* * *

 

He walked over to the bench, emotionally and physically exhausted. It had been over a year since he had played against Haizaki, and like him, he had only gotten stronger. And he could barely keep up with him. He hadn’t expected this when he met the guy outside… but there was a strong possibility that Kaijo could lose.

“Kise…” Kasamatsu said pleadingly. His eyes were welling up with tears. “Can’t you pull it together?”

“Um…” It hurt seeing his captain like that. This could very well be his last high school game.

Kasamatsu grabbed Kise’s shirt and pulled him closer. “I can’t believe I’m saying this… but don’t you want to ask Kagami out on that date?” There was desperation in his voice, Kise almost couldn’t look at him.

Kise sighed, remembering that he told her that Kaijo would win. She was up there somewhere… “Oh right, she’s watching this game.” She had seen his godawful play and the way he had horribly copied that move of hers. He kept his back to the spectators, not wanting to accidently find her in the crowd.

“Kise don’t think about that!” Kasamatsu said quickly but he knew it was too late.

_Sorry Kagami I guess I’m not asking you out._

* * *

 

The fourth quarter started. Kagami hoped that the break would help, but Kaijo’s play only got worse.

“I can’t believe this.” She said quietly. Kaijo was ten points behind.

“Kagami…” Hyuga said quietly. “Both teams only got to the quarter finals, and if Haizaki really was Teiko’s original fifth man… they’re about as strong as each other. Haizaki just might be better than him.”

She sat back in her seat and watched Kise. He seemed so defeated.

“There is something else.” Riko said focusing on Kise’s leg. “During the Touou game, he might not have been the only one to have an injury… right now the numbers in his right leg are low.”

“But the inter high was months ago.” Kagami turned towards her.

“If he didn’t rest it and let it heal, it could still hurt.”

Looking at his leg closer, she saw him step carefully as he ran after Haizaki.

_Idiot why didn’t you rest your leg…_

The only explanation she could think was that he had been practicing hard between the inter high and the winter cup, after that loss to Touou.

He was there for that streetball game, and now Kagami had to wonder if his leg was hurting then. If it were and she had known, she had insisted that he sit out and just let Midorima play… but knowing the way things went, he would have played that five on five at the other park had it not rained.

The point gap only increasing. Kise was desperately pulling out different moves as a way to try to score points, but once Haizaki stole them, he’d have to find another. And he looked like he was running low on them as he was often hesitating before pulling out another skill.

“Come on, don’t you want that date?” She mumbled. The idea that she’d have to lose the semifinals for that to happen was no longer on her mind. She just didn’t want to see him lose this game, not to that asshole Haizaki. That smug look he’d likely have as the final buzzer went off just made her skin crawl.

“Do you want to go on a date with him?” Himuro eyed her.

“He was going to ask after he beat me in a game.” Kagami said. “I just don’t want him to lose to… him.” She pointed to Haizaki. “Anyway, we’re the ones who are going to win the semifinals, but if asking me out is what gives him motivation to win this game then-”

“Okay fine let’s say you lost, if he asked you, would you accept?” Himuro interupted sounding a little frustrated. “I mean, how do you feel about him?”

She sighed, knowing that she wasn’t getting away from the answer. It was embarrassing to talk about especially with her team nearby, regardless of whether or not they were listening.

“He’s a good friend,” She said. “If he asked, I’d say yes. Actually, if anyone asked, I would say yes, but I don’t want anything serious right now…” Her face got red and she tried to dance around the answer. But it was the truth. Japan’s high school basketball had way too many hot guys, and there were several she wouldn’t mind going on a date with.

“He did ask me at the beginning of the year, after we played and I lost a one on one.” She said. “I got mad and told him no… I thought he was some shallow model… but now…” She stopped, unsure why she was saying so much. “But anyway, yes I’d go on a date with him whether or not he loses. A lot of girls would hate me, but I would do it.”

Kuroko looked over at her, but she acted as though she didn’t notice. He seemed to think that both Kise and Midorima had feelings for her… Kise she knew, he was very upfront about them. But she still had trouble believing that Midorima might have a crush on her. She just didn’t seem his type… still if he asked, she’d go on a date with him.  

Haizaki held the ball, challenging Kise. Kise stood waiting for him, trying to anticipate his next move. But Haizaki ran by him, stepping on his foot, the injured one, and ran by.

“Hey!” Kagami yelled loudly. She waited for the ref to blow the whistle but he didn’t. “Why didn’t he call a foul!”

“I don’t think he saw.” Riko said quietly. “It’s like the Kirisaki Daichi game, where he made it look like an accident.”

She watched Kise stumble after Haizaki. And then she sat back in her seat and folded her arms. She had the urge to run down to the court and confront Haizaki, punch him like she had wanted to earlier.

“Maybe I should have broken his fingers.” She grumbled.

“No you shouldn’t have.” Himuro put his hand on her arm. “You’d get disqualified.”

“And the game isn’t over yet.” Kuroko said keeping his eyes on the court.

Kagami eyed the scoreboard. Kaijo was more than ten points down and the fourth quarter was half way over. The game might as well have been over. They’d need a miracle at this point.

Kise was now slower and the next play he attempted was so weak and lazy… Kagami couldn’t even watch.

Haizaki had the ball and Kise just stood there as he ran by. He was giving up. It was the end for Kaijo. Seirin would play Haizaki next game. She pulled her knees up to her and buried her face into them, not wanting to watch the rest of the game.

Kuroko stood up. She turned her head and looked at him. Then he opened his mouth.

“Kise-kun I believe in you!” He shouted loud enough for the entire gym to hear.

She blinked. Kagami had never heard him yell so loud, he was always so soft-spoken and quiet. People watching the game were looking around trying figure out where that voice came from, but Kise’s eyes went right to him.

* * *

 

Kise stared at Kuroko, still unable to believe that he had shouted. For years he wasn’t sure what Kuroko had really thought of him, and he often wondered if he had just been an annoyance to his former teammate. But now…

“Come on Ryouta, you’re done.” Haizaki said. “I’m playing Kagami in the semifinals,” He grinned. “and I’m going to be much rougher with her than you… that little bitch thinks she’s one of the guys…” and he just continued, words spilling out of his mouth. “actually, I might ask her out after this game, then I can have her for the night and then dump her like I did to your old girlfriend.”

Kise started to laugh quietly unable to take any of his nonsense seriously. The guy really didn’t know Kagami.

Kise smirked.

“Did you even watch the Kirisaki Daichi game? She had three guys beating on her for four quarters and she still won. There is nothing you can do to stop her… and you’re really delusional if you think she would go on a date with you… Kagamicchi can’t stand you… but it doesn’t matter, I won’t let you play her in the semifinals.

Kaijo threw the ball to Kise. He was right behind the three-point line when he caught it, and then he got ready to shoot, about to copy Midorima’ s form.

_Thank you Kurokocchi._

He shot the ball, using Midorima’ s high arc, and it went into the basket.

* * *

 

Kagami blinked. “That was…”

“Midorima-kun.” Kuroko said sitting up straight.

“I thought he couldn’t copy the generation of miracles…” Kagami trailed off.

“This is the first I’ve seen him…”

The game continued, and there was a renewed energy within Kise. Haizaki went to score, but Kise copied Murasakibara to block his shot. And then he stole the ball and ran down the court. Haizaki went to mark him, and Kise used one of Aomine’s skills to maneuver around him and then did a formless shot.

“Yay Kise!” Kagami jumped up and cheered. He looked her way indicating that he heard her.

And now he was unstoppable. Next time he had the ball, he used an ankle break, sending Haizaki to the ground. Kagami learned from Kuroko that he was copying Akashi.

But the real surprise came when he passed to Kasamatsu… using Kuroko ignite pass.

“Kuroko he just…”

Kuroko nodded.

The point gap was now closing. Kagami smiled as she watched, and the idea of him asking her on that date was becoming more exciting. She imagined it in her head, but then remembered that in order for that to happen, she’d have to lose the next game. So she shook her head and continued to watch.

“Copying the generation of miracles…” Riko began. “It really takes a lot out of him. I can see his numbers decreasing rapidly… but they’re still high enough for a turn around…”

Kagami focused on his injured leg. He played as if it wasn’t hurting and assumed he was having an adrenaline rush.

The point gap finally closed. Kise made one final dunk at the buzzer, winning the game for Kaijo. Kaijo cheered and before he was tackled by his team, he turned to Kagami and Kuroko and smiled.

So the top four teams were decided. Next week Seirin would play Kaijo and Rakuzan and Shutoku would play each other, and the finals would happen the very next day.

The gym was starting to clear out. Riko ordered the team to get their stuff and leave. They would have tomorrow off to rest, but the following week would be full of intense practice.

It was tempting to find Kise and congratulate him on his win. But it was now late, and she and Himuro had things to talk about that night. So she figured she text him and maybe see him tomorrow.  And she was also realizing that she was going to have to play against a guy that could copy all the generation of miracles, even if the perfect copy had a time limit.

Kagami turned to face Himuro. “Ready to go back to my place?”

He nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Kagami and Himuro sleepover will happen next chapter. We'll probably see some Alex x Masako too. 
> 
> I was trying to find a way for Kagami to give Kise some encouragement with out taking away that one moment from Kuroko. (Hardest part of this fic is not taking away other character's moments to shine from canon) So she only got to cheer loudly after he learned the perfect copy.
> 
> And damn it, I get sad every time I write about Kise wanting to ask her out on that date...


	37. Old Times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lot more angsty than I intended.

Kagami pulled out her keys and unlocked the door to her apartment. She walked inside slowly and turned on the lights, nervous about the conversation they were about to have. It had been years since she had spent time alone with Himuro and she worried that they both had changed too much and would not get along like they used to. Or that whatever Himuro told her would lead to a huge fight, one where their friendship couldn’t recover.

“Taiga do you have a dog?” Himuro asked looking at the food dishes on the floor. “I thought you were afraid of them.”

“No… it’s Tetsuya’s, his parents won’t let him have a dog, so I let him keep it here. He comes over in the mornings… or he’ll just stay the night and take care of it.” She looked at the dog toys on the floor, kind of missing Nigou. “But tonight, his parents are out of town, so he’s keeping the dog at his place.”

She considered it luck. Kagami wasn’t sure if she could talk to Himuro about everything with Kuroko in the other room, especially if things got emotional.

“So… Kuroko sleeps over?” Himuro raised his eyebrow at her.

Kagami rolled her eyes. “He uses the guest room… and come on, people do this all the time back in America.”

“Um… yeah for a night.” He said. “Or maybe a week… not every day.”

“It’s not every day.” She folded her arms. Although it was on a regular basis.  “But it’s just easier this way. Or else I could get stuck having to take the dog out in the morning.”

Kagami walked over and sat on the couch. Himuro followed. They were both quiet waiting for the other to speak first. Kagami had to resist the urge to turn on the TV. They would both likely get distracted by whatever was on and would ultimately accomplish nothing.

“So what have you been up to the past three years.” Kagami asked figuring that would be a good place to start.

Himuro breathed. “Really just school and basketball… I trained a lot with Alex after you left… and I spent a lot of time with the guys at home. Then my parents divorced and my dad moved me back to Japan.”

She was a little disappointed with little he gave her, there had to be more that happened over those years. She was about to ask more about his parent’s divorce, they had always seemed happy together, but Himuro continued before she could say anything.

“After you moved, I really didn’t think I was going to see you again, even after I moved back here. We live so far away from each other… but I never considered that you would play for the boys team.”

“Yeah… Seirin didn’t have a basketball club for girls… I was my only choice.” Well, she could have started the girls team like Kiyoshi had with Seirin’s current. But that just sounded like too much work.

“I’m surprised that they let you do that.”

“Yeah… me too, but Seirin is a new school and I guess the school board didn’t think that we would get that far anyway, so they just over looked it.”

“They’re probably surprised now.” Himuro grinned.

“Probably.” She laughed. “I did play on the girl’s team in junior high… but I was the tallest by a lot, and the games were so boring. So I’m kind of glad that I do get to play with the boys.”

She wasn’t sure if she would have had that problem back in America. Even though she was still tall for a girl in America, she knew that, especially if she were on a basketball team, she would meat others close to her height and some even taller than her. And when she joined the WNBA she knew she’d be around average height.

“So… what did you want to tell me earlier?” She asked. Himuro had said that there was more to their fallout than her being a girl and she had to know what. It had been on her mind ever since they had started walking home, once the excitement of Kaijo winning wore off.

Himuro took a deep breath. “It’s really stupid… but… you were always going up to the guys that were better at the game… and I just got jealous. And I kept practicing, but you were always better… Like I said it was stupid.” He finished quickly.

She had to think about it all for a moment to understand what he was trying to say. Remembering those days in America, she did flirt a lot with boys who were the best players around their age. And if he were jealous…

She eyed the ground. They had their childhood engagement, and they would tell others that they were getting married… up until they got “the talk.” After that, they were both too embarrassed to mention it, especially with their friends that would tease them.

Kagami grabbed her ring. It now made sense why he asked her if she would go out on a date with Kise. But… he didn’t seem upset when she said that she would… or any of the generation of miracles. And she would… even Aomine. Kagami would never tell any of them but she did admire…

She almost laughed. Her preference still hadn’t changed.

“Tatsuya… I’m sorry-“

“Don’t apologize… that was on me.”

“No, I really am…” She said. She felt bad about ignoring him and not noticing that maybe he just wanted some kind of acknowledgment that he was improving. Thinking back to the game and that look he gave her after he first did his mirage shot… she almost sighed.

And there was the fact that he did love her back then. Kagami wasn’t sure if he still did, but even back then she always figured she would end up marrying him when they were older. They were both kids that were born in Japan and moved to America… so they could get each other as far as that was concerned. They even went to school dances together and had their first kiss with each other… even if it was a let’s do this so we’re not the last in our class sort of thing.

But despite it all, the past three years still hurt. They were both also older, had new friends… they were really going to need more than one night to get to know each other again, and that wouldn’t be helped by the fact that they lived in two different cities.

“Um… listen…” She said. “I always liked you better than those guys anyway.” She wanted to face palm at how vague she was being. But this was just so awkward. “I mean, a lot of those guy ended up being jerks.”

He was quiet for a moment. Kagami squirmed waiting for him to say something.  

“I am really sorry for everything.” He said.

She sighed. It was something, but he was obviously not ready to touch on that. “Like I said earlier, I’m just glad that you’re talking to me again… and we were just two dumb kids back then.”

He gave a small smile.

After that, they talked, catching up on the past three years. Himuro explained what happened with his parents, they just stopped getting along.  He also told her that he had dated a few girls, which made her a little jealous. And then how he became friends with Murasakibara.

Kagami told him about joining Seirin’s team, meeting Kuroko, getting asked on a date by Kise, accidently giving Midorima her phone number, meeting Aomine, and then the summer training camp. Kagami told him a little about the generation of miracles she knew personally, and he told her more about Murasakibara.

“So I guess I have the tallest of the generation of miracles and you have the shortest…”

She nodded and then laughed.  

Himuro grabbed her lap top and put on an American show that he had been following. It took a little bit for Kagami to figure out who like who, and the drama that each character was going through that season, but she ended up enjoying it. Sitting there with him just watching TV, it felt like old times back in America.

When it was over, Kagami led him to the guest room.

“Um… I do want to watch your games next week.” He said. “I want Seirin to win the Winter Cup.”

She smiled. “Do you need a place to stay next weekend? Because you can stay here.”

He looked like he was about accept, but then he stopped. “I was going to watch with Atsushi… I really shouldn’t leave him to get a hotel by himself.”

She thought about it for a moment. Kagami barely knew Murasakibara and she did think he was a little odd… even more so after the stories Himuro had told her. But they both seemed like good friends.

“You could both stay here.”

Himuro smiled. “Okay, I’ll talk to him about it. I’ll just warn you, he eats a lot.”

“So do I.” She scoffed. “He’ll be in good company.” She pushed open the door to the guest room.

 “Um.. Kuroko has a lot of his stuff here.” He said looking inside. “Are you sure he’s just a friend?”

“Yes, I don’t date teammates.” She folded her arms. “He just stays here a lot, if he didn’t he’d probably starve himself… his parents are gone a lot and he barely packs himself a lunch.”

Himuro just nodded although still didn’t seem convinced.

* * *

 

Despite having several drinks, somehow Alex was only slightly buzzed. Masako knew that if she drank half as much as her, she’d have been totally wasted.

As they got up to leave, Masako watched as Alex stepped off the bar stool, anticipating that she was stumble and fall on her face. But when she stepped down gracefully and walked out as if she had only had one beer that night.

“How can you drink so much.” Masako asked as they approached her motorcycle.

“I had a lot of practice in college…” Alex laughed. “I should tell you all about those post game parties.”

Masako climbed onto her motorcycle, and Alex followed sitting behind her. Masako sat for a moment as Alex’s arms wrapped around her, enjoying the moment.

The whole night seemed so surreal. Back when Alex played in the WNBA, Masako had had a crush on her. In fact, her poster still hung in her room. And now she had just on a date with her and was bringing her back to her hotel room.

Actually, and she knew her face was red just thinking about it, she had two of her posters. One of her in her UGLA uniform… and the other from a sexy athletic photoshoot… where Alex was wearing a tiny bikini… She’d die of embarrassment if Alex ever found out that it still hung on her wall.

They rode, Masako found it hard to concentrate anytime Alex held her tighter or laid her head against her shoulder. They couldn’t get back to the hotel fast enough.

When they arrived, Masako had a sudden fear that one of the boys from her team would see her. As they walked down the hall to her room, she was on alert for them and frantically tried to think up an excuse for why she was with Alex. There was only comfort in the fact that Okamura and Fukui were graduating soon…

She sighed… despite their antics, Masako would really miss those two. It was starting to hit her that they had played their last high school game that night and were now retired from the basketball club. It was only made more official by Okamura declaring that Himuro would be the new captain.

But the hall was empty. Masako led Alex to her room and unlocked the door.

“Hey the school really got you a nice room.” Alex said looking around.

“Yeah… they do put a lot of money into the basketball club.” Masako said sitting on the edge of the bed and then patted next to her, indicating that she wanted Alex to sit.

Alex did sit, practically on top of her, and then smiled. But Masako wanted to take things a little slower.

“I can’t believe Tatsuya didn’t tell me that he knew you and Kagami.”. She understood why he didn’t talk about Kagami from talking to Alex at the bar, but that brat didn’t tell her that an ex WNBA player had trained him.

Although thinking about it, maybe that was a good thing. She ask him so many questions, and probably find a way for him to introduce her Alex, completely giving her self away.

“Well Tatsuya has never been one to brag.” Alex looked up at the ceiling. “And our relationship was a little strained when he moved back to Japan.”

“Do you think he and Kagami will be fine?” She asked. After everything Alex had told her at that bar, her opinion of Tatsuya had lowered a little. His attitude towards Kagami… it just seemed to out of character for him. But he had only  joined the club that year.

“Yeah I think they will be, they were young teenagers they’ll get past it… and they do have a lot of history together.” Alex said. “I mean, he was there for her after her mother died, he’d bring her stuff and he’d comfort her.”

Alex then sighed. “I was there as much as I could be, she’d stay the night at my place while her dad was grieving or was busy just getting things together. It didn’t help that she was ten when it happened and I was the only woman in her life… so there was a lot of things that I had to explain to her that she wouldn’t want to hear from her dad.”

“I bet…” Masako said and then shivered. She couldn’t imagine taking on that responsibility, especially for a barely preteen girl.

Alex then grinned. “You know… when she had her first period, I was at work when it happened, the poor girl had no idea what to do, so she told Tatsuya… and do you know what he did?”

“What?” Masako asked dreading the answer.

“He went to the store and bought her tampons.”

Masako burst out laughing. “What! Tampons and not pads?”

“Yeah… I think Taiga was mortified.” Alex laughed. “But what really gets me is that he wasn’t the least bit embarrassed about buying them. He was twelve-years-old and already a better boyfriend than any I’ve ever had.”

Masako had to agree, even though she had never dated any men. But then another thought occurred to her.

“You said she lives alone in Tokyo?”

Alex’s face suddenly became grim. “Yeah, her dad is in New York doing business and I don’t think he plans to return.” She relaxed a little. “Before his wife died, the family was very close… and after the accident… initially, he did his best and was very supportive of his daughter. But then… as Taiga got older he started to become cold towards her. It took me a while to figure out why… but basically… she was starting to look like her mother.”

“What!” Masako felt her self-tensing up. “You can’t be serious.”

“I wish I wasn’t.” Alex sighed. “You know… I thought about trying to become his girlfriend and maybe he’d consider marrying me, then I could just become her mom…”

“Would you have been happy in that marriage?” It was hard for her to imagine Alex settling down with a business man, especially one with a kid. Masako got the impression that she enjoyed her freedom and wouldn’t want to be tied down like that.

Alex shook her head. “No, but I would have done it for her.” She paused. “But that was never going to happen, he never would have gone for another woman at the time, even up until the point that they moved. I was still in her life anyway, so I didn’t exactly have to marry her father.”

Alex sighed. “I even told Taiga that she could move back to the United States and live with me…. But she really wants to stay and beat all the generation of miracles.”

“And she only had two to go?”

“Technically one, she won a game against the model in a practice game… if that counts.”

“I would say it does.”

Masako wasn’t sure what to say about anything else Alex told her. She had briefly heard about Kagami last year when she was in junior high. It wasn’t much, just that that there was a girl that was very good at basketball and that none of the other girls could keep up. But Kagami was overshadowed by Teiko’s basketball team that she didn’t get too much attention.

Had Masako known that she was good enough to play on the boy’s team she would have gone to recruit her… if Yosen’s school board allowed it. They were likely to turn her down especially since they had already recruited Murasakibara.

“And don’t get me wrong.” Alex continued. “I was there for Tatsuya to; his parents worked a lot so he spent a lot of time at my house. And after Taiga left… he wouldn’t let her know but he was devastated. So I did my best to help him move on… but you can see how well that worked.”

Alex then laughed. “But enough about my adopted kids. Will you be watching the finals next week?”

“I booked my hotel weeks ago and I was planning to watch whether or not Yosen was in the top four.” Masako said. Although if she were being honest, she never expected Yosen to not make the semi finals. “I think my boys are going to want to watch, but I won’t be responsible for them.”

“We should watch together. And have another date afterwards.” Alex said. “You should also bring a picture of you when you were on Japan’s national team!”

“Oh that’s an old picture.” Masako said her face getting red. She now hated how she wore her hair back then. “And it’s not as impressive as playing in the WNBA.”

“Who says it’s not?” Alex shrugged. “Besides I only played for a few years until my eyes went bad. But you’re now coaching for a high school team! And one of the top in the country!”

Masako smiled and put her arm around Alex and pulled her in closer. Alex grinned and pressed her lips against hers.

* * *

 

Aomine sat outside at a table. Kuroko and Momoi were across from him eating their food that they had bought at Magi Burger. He hadn’t expected that he would have dinner Kuroko that night. But as they were leaving the game, Momoi had been texting him and then said that they were getting dinner and invited Aomine along.

He was going to refuse, and then remembered that he was hungry and decided to go.

It was mostly Kuroko and Momoi talking to each other while Aomine sat and listened. Well it was mostly Momoi talking to Kuroko. But he felt like such third wheel and might as well have not been there.

Kuroko had his dog with him and it was pretty cute. So it gave Aomine something to focus on. Now… if it would only walk over next to him and he could pet it and play with it.

The dog must have read his mind, because it trotted over and begged Aomine for some of his food. Aomine tossed it a French fry.

“Hey Tetsu, I didn’t know that you were allowed to have a dog.” He finally spoke to him.

“I’m not, Taiga let’s me keep Nigou at her apartment.”

“So then it’s really her dog?”

Kuroko shook his head. “No she’s afraid of dogs, I’m the one that takes care of it.”

Aomine frowned. “She’s afraid of that little thing?” For a girl that could go head to head with Murasakibara, it was unbelievable that she’d be afraid of a cute little puppy.

Kuroko nodded.

Still, it was a lot to let someone keep a dog at their house. “So do you go to her house every morning? That sounds like a lot of work.”

“Yes, but I’ll stay the night sometimes.” He said completely deadpanned.

He nearly spit out his drink. Momoi nearly choked on a fry.

“Tetsu-kun you stay the night at her place!” Momoi shrieked.

“You said there was nothing going on between you two!” Aomine folded his arms.

“There isn’t.” Kuroko said. “Taiga doesn’t date teammates, I sleep in the guest room.”

“And her parents just allow that?” Aomine asked. He couldn’t imagine anyone just letting their kid’s friend practically live with them.

“She lives alone, her dad is in New York for work.”

He put his hand over his forehead. None of that was normal. “So you stay at her apartment and you have the entire place to yourselves…” He paused. “Do you eat with her too?”

“Yes, she makes lunch every day.”

Aomine glanced at Momoi. “And is it good?”

“Yes.”

He sighed. Kagami was good at basketball and she could cook… he was about to fall more in love with her. But… Tetsu said that she wasn’t his girlfriend, but… they sounded like they were practically married.

“Tetsu, is she your girlfriend? You can tell me.” If he said yes, he’d back off. Not that he had spoken to her since the Touou game… but he wasn’t going to hit on his friend’s girlfriend.

Momoi shot Aomine a look but he ignored it. Despite what she may have believed, Momoi was not in a relationship with Kuroko.

“No… Taiga said that people in America stay over night at each other’s houses all the time.”

He sat up. If that was the case he might have to find a reason to stay at her place. Maybe they could play one on one on a cloudy day and it would start storming… He shook his head at that ridiculous fantasy.

“Dai-chan, sound a little jealous.” Momoi eyed him.

“Satsuki you’re the one that sounds jealous…” He said although she wasn’t completely wrong. Although he was surprised that she was taking this so well. He thought the mere mention that Kagami and Kuroko were in love would have her hating Kagami.

Momoi looked at him. “Dai-chan… do you have feelings for Tai-“

“No I don’t Satsuki!” He said instinctively and then immediately eyed Kuroko, pleading with him not to say anything. Kuroko knew the truth and if Momoi found out she’d never shut up about it. She might even tell Kagami and that would be a total nightmare.

But Kuroko just smiled at him.

“If you do like her, we’re playing basketball this week.” Momoi continued. “You could always play with us.” Her tone suggested that she both wanted and didn’t want him there.

Aomine folded his arms. “She has two big games next weekend, and she’ll be practicing all week. You should let her rest.”

“No. Taiga loves basketball, she doesn’t mind it.” Kuroko said grinning.

_Tetsu…_

Aomine gave him a look, but Kuroko just kept smiling, knowing full well that he was getting under his skin.

When they finished dinner, he and Momoi walked with Kuroko most of the way to his house. Momoi wanted to be with him, and Aomine didn’t want the two of them walking home alone.

The two walked in front of him, Momoi was practically hanging on to Kuroko. It felt like they were back in middle school, when the three of them would spend time together. And… he found himself missing those times.

Aomine hadn’t complimented Kuroko on the game. It was impressive enough that a guy his height had stopped Murasakibara. A part of him still wished that he had played that game and that he would play the two games next week. But then he wondered if he could win against Murasakibara.

_With Tetsu I could…_

And now that he had helped Kuroko learn to shoot… he really wanted to see him win. It was the only thing that could make him feel better about not playing in the finals.

“Hey Kuroko…” He said as they were about to part. “Don’t lose next week.”

“We won’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I always felt that canon Kagami was missing some backstory. The wiki says that he only has a dad so I'm assuming his mom died. And his dad just doesn't live with him... we like to cry over what happened to the GOM but I think Kagami deserves some of that too.
> 
> On the KNB wiki, it says that Himuro likes American dramas. I think that KNB was first published in 2009, so I try to write this fic as if it was taking place back then. (Though I'm sure there's anachronisms here and there) So pick your favorite teen drama from that era and that is what they were watching.
> 
> Also on the Wiki, Masako was in a biker gang... yeah I was totally putting her and Alex riding on a motorcycle in this fic. She played for Japan's national team and Kaijo's coach asked her out on a date lol. Sorry dude, you never had a chance.
> 
> As for the ending, I just wanted something light hearted. And I also wanted Kuroko and Aomine to rebuild their friendship before the final game. It was always one of my favorite's in the show and I wanted more. (And I so wanted them to have more of a heart to heart. They kind of had one but I wanted more, like Aomine apologizing and trying to make things better instead of constantly going "Okay last time we talk!" and then they see each other next week...)
> 
> And Kagami and Murasakibara will spend time with each other so I having Mura stay at her apartment the next weekend.
> 
> Happy non angsty chapter next time.
> 
> Also, Himukaga is still a possibility.


	38. The Two Lights

Kagami slept in later than she intended. When she opened her eyes and looked at the clock, she nearly jumped out of her bed. Himuro only had two hours before he had to be back at the hotel to catch the bus.

Himuro hadn’t woken up either. She went to the guest room and nudged him till he opened his eyes. He groaned but once he saw the time, he sat up and stretched.

“Um, can I borrow some of your clothes? I was wearing these yesterday.”

“Yeah one second.” She went to her room and picked out pants and a shirt for him. It wasn’t an unusual thing for him to ask. Growing up they had shared clothes all the time, especially when they were younger. Kagami always shopped in the men’s department because even in America, it was hard to find clothes that fit her in the women’s section.

Alex arrived home shortly after they started eating breakfast. She was wearing the same clothes as the previous night and her hair was pulled back into a messy pony tail.

She blinked when she saw the two and then smiled. “I’ll take it you two are speaking to each other again?”

They both nodded. Kagami literally thought Alex was going to jump for joy. But she just kept smiling and sat with them at the table.

 “I had breakfast this morning with Masako… but would you mind if I had some of yours? We just haven’t done this in years.”

“Go right ahead.” Himuro passed her a plate.

Alex sighed. “If I had known that you were staying here last night, I might have come home…” Then she laughed. “Actually, no I wouldn’t have, Masako is pretty hot.”

Himuro put his hand over his face. “Alex that’s my coach…”

“Oh sorry…” She grabbed another pancake and put it on her plate. “Himuro, don’t you have a bus to catch soon?”

“Yes, in about an hour, I was going to leave in about ten minutes.”

Alex stuck out her lower lip. “You two are finally friends again and I had to miss your visit.”

“He’ll be back next week to watch the finals.” Kagami said. “and he’s staying here.”

Alex grinned. “I do have another date with Masako that weekend, but I’ll make sure that we spend some time together. Maybe I’ll pick up some movies.”

When the two finished breakfast, Himuro got up to leave. Alex gave him a big hug.

“Tatsuya… did you bring an extra pair of clothes with you?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No, Taiga let me borrow these.”

She laughed and put her hand on his shoulder. “You two, please never change.”

Kagami walked him to the bus stop because she knew he would never find it on his own. Himuro was not at all familiar with Tokyo and wasn’t the best at following directions.

“Hey I’m glad things are okay between us now.” She said as the bus pulled up.

Himuro nodded. “Me too, and sorry again for everything.”

“Stop apologizing.” She said and then gave him a quick hug.

* * *

 

Riko wasn’t kidding when she said that practice that week would be intense. They got to school early in the morning before class to run drill, and then stayed an extra hour that evening.

Afterwards, Kagami would meet Momoi to play basketball. But that Wednesday, she wasn’t sure if she would have the energy. Still, she went to meet her.

“Taiga, you don’t have to play tonight, Momoi would understand.” Kuroko said walking next to her.

“No I promised.” She said and walked a little faster, knowing that wouldn’t prove that she still had energy, but she did it anyway.

Kuroko sighed and caught up with her. He was probably more exhausted than her, but he didn’t intend to play. Momoi had sent him a text, asking if he would come and watch.

When they arrived at the court, Momoi was already there waiting… with Aomine.

“Tai-chan!” Momoi ran over to her.

“Hey Satsuki.” She smiled. Kagami glanced over at Aomine, but he refused to look at her.

Kagami walked slowly towards him. “Hi Aomine.”

“Hey Kagami.” He said barely looking at her.

“Did you want to play?” Ever since the Touou game, she had wanted to play him again. Now that she could keep up a street ball game would be far more fun. And it would be good practice for the upcoming weekend.

“No, I'm only here because Satsuki begged me to come, she wanted me to watch her play.”

That was the same reason she had asked Kuroko. Maybe Momoi wanted them all to play together.

“Aw come on, we could play two on two.” She said glancing back at Momoi and Kuroko.

“No.” He shook his head. “It would really be a two on one, who ever has Satsuki on their team is going to lose.”

“Dai-chan!” Momoi yelled.

“Tetsu is tired anyway, he could barely keep up with you. All we could do is a one on one, and I don’t want Satsuki to get mad if she doesn’t get to play tonight.”

“But Dai-“ Momoi began but Aomine gave her a look.

Kagami tilted her head. She never thought he would refuse a basketball game and she really didn’t buy his reasons. But she decided to let it go.

* * *

 

Kuroko sat down next to him, and they watched the two girls. Even though they were just shooting hoops it felt so surreal to watch Momoi play. And she was having fun. Anytime Aomine would ask her to play a one on one, she’d refuse.

“She’s not too bad.” Aomine said watching her shoot a three. It bounced off the rim but Kagami caught it and dunked.

He meant it too. For a beginner, Momoi was doing very well. Her shooting wasn’t very accurate, but she could at least make some threes. And she had the timing down to pass to Kagami for an alley-oop. He was now starting to wonder how a two on two with the four of them would go.

“Yes Momoi is very good.” Kuroko agreed. “She really likes playing with Kagami.”

“Yeah I know.” Aomine groaned. It was all Momoi wanted to talk about now. How cool Kagami was, how much fun they had together, the new things she would teach her…

Kuroko looked at him. “Aomine-kun… you really didn’t want to play?”

He groaned. Truth was, he really wanted to. He had for weeks. Anytime he thought about Kagami, it was always the two of them playing one on one at a court and then going back to her place… Or sitting and watching and watching a game on TV, or even going to watch their favorite pro team.

 But as much as he wanted to challenge her to a game, he wasn’t going to that evening. Not with the finals that weekend. Seirin had ultimately beat Touou because Kagami and Kuroko had coordinated with each other.  If he played a one on one against her, he’d likely win, maybe before she even scored a point. And he didn’t want that to throw off her games that weekend.

She could beat him with her zone, but he knew she couldn’t get into it in a one on one. No, he knew her trigger.

He also knew that she was exhausted from practice. Her play was a little off and she was slower than usual.  

“I want to, but not until after the finals.” He said. “Besides, I should probably let Satsuki play.”

Kuroko nodded.

He watched her play. Kagami was far gentler with Momoi than she was during any game she played for Seirin. She gave her very light passes, not those ones where she would throw the ball half way down the court to their point guard.

He sat back. He did enjoy watching Momoi having fun while playing. Maybe she would have played with him more if he didn’t always completely crush her…

The two played for about an hour. When they were finished, they walked over to him and Kuroko.

“We’re getting dinner.” Momoi said smiling.

He sighed. It would be the second time that week he’d be having dinner with Kuroko. Not that he minded it, it’s just he still hadn’t completely apologized for everything that happened in middle school.

And Kagami was going to be with them this time. They had barely spoken since the Seirin/Touou game, getting dinner with her was just going to be awkward. He had the suspicion that Momoi had planned for this to happen.

* * *

 

At Magi burger, Kagami order the same amount of food that he did, a stack of burgers. He stared at both their trays and trouble believing that she could eat as much as him.

Momoi walked ahead of everyone and sat down in an empty booth.

“Tetsu-kun sit right here!” She patted the seat next to her.

Aomine glared at her, knowing that she did that on purpose. Kagami sat across from Momoi and started to eat. Aomine walked over slowly and sat next to her. She barely seemed to notice, or maybe just didn’t care. And then he started to eat.

“Hey Tetsuya, you need to eat more than a vanilla shake.” Kagami said and put one of her burgers in front of him.

“Um…” He started.

“You’re only fifteen, you could have another growth spurt. So eat.”

Kuroko looked at Aomine for help, and he responded by giving him one of his hamburgers, agreeing with Kagami that he needed to eat more. Kuroko really would live of vanilla shakes if he could.

Kagami took a bite into her food. “So what can you tell me about Akashi? I’m going to need to know more about him.”

Aomine laughed. “So you’ve already decided that Midorima and Kise are going to lose the semifinals?”

She frowned and shook her head. “No… but I’ve already played those two… I don’t know much about Akashi and Seirin could play Rakuzan in the finals. And as for Kaijo, we’re winning that game.”

She was over confident like he was, he liked that about her.

“I know you beat Kise in that practice game, but you should probably know that he’ll be a lot different in a real game… you won’t see the guy that wants to get laid this Saturday.”

“I’d expect him to be more serious.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Especially in the semifinals.”

“You’ve never seen him desperate to win.” Aomine said. “We’ll see if you can handle him.” He had after all, been injured by Kise during the inter high. And now Kise could copy the rest of the generation of miracles making him a much tougher opponent than he was months ago. And if Kagami were to go into the zone… the game could get intense.

She scoffed and took another bite. “We’re going to win.”

“Um… actually…” Momoi spoke. “last Saturday, Haizaki really injured Ki-chan’s foot… I think he can still play, but it’s not going to be easy for him.”

Kagami nearly dropped her burger. “Wait what? That… That…” She threw her hands down. “Ugh Kise really should have just let me punch that guy!”

“You’ve met Haizaki?” Aomine raised is eyebrow. If there was one person from Teiko he didn’t want her to run into, it was him. Saturday night he was relieved that she wouldn’t be playing him in the semifinals.

“Back when Kaijo played Touou. I met him and Murasakibara at the vending machine, he asked me out, I said no and he got mad.” She folded her arms. “But after I played Yosen, he attacked my friend and I almost got into a fight with him trying to protect Tatsuya… and now it sounds like I should have.”

Aomine shook his head. “No you should stay away from him. If he bothers you, just let me know and I’ll take care of him.”

A year out of middle school and Haizaki was still causing trouble. Aomine had been friends with him at Teiko, until Akashi told him to stay away because was starting to act too much like him. He brushed Akashi off at first. At the time he didn’t realize how much trouble the guy was.

“Um I can take him.” Kagami glared at him.

“It doesn’t matter, don’t pick a fight with him… besides I punched for you after the game.”

“Dai-chan!”

“Aomine-kun!”

Kagami blinked. “Really? Why?”

“Because I knew he was outside waiting for Kise. I wasn’t going to let him get in the way of Tetsu and Kise’s game this week…. But it doesn’t matter, I hit him for you.”

He didn’t doubt that Kagami could take Haizaki. The guy was a real punk and thought he was much stronger than he actually was. But he still didn’t want her fighting him. The guy was persistent and wouldn’t be above playing dirty.  

“Okay fine, I‘ll stay away from him.” Kagami sat back in her seat. “But I still want to know more about Akashi. Tetsuya told me that he can predict anyone’s play and that he can ankle break. What else should I know about him?”

He, Momoi, and Kuroko all looked at each other. Neither knowing how to explain their former captain. One day in middle school he changed and suddenly believed he was absolute and couldn’t lose. Aomine had wanted to play him to prove him wrong, but that was when he also thought that he was unbeatable. Now he wasn’t sure if he could win… not without Kuroko at least.

“Um Akashi…” Momoi began. “He’s very good at using his entire team… and Rakuzan has three of the uncrowned kings… and he doesn’t think that it is possible for him to lose…” Momoi trailed off.

“He sounds pretty arrogant.” Kagami folded her arms. “Looks like we’re going to have to win, right Tetsuya?”

To Aomine’s surprise, Kuroko agreed, and he knew Akashi better than most. Maybe Kagami was rubbing off on him.

“But when I met him the first day of the inter high, he seemed the most normal out of all of you…”

He eyed her, wondering what she meant by that. But thinking back to that day, Akashi had acted very different towards her than he had with nearly everyone else. Aomine had been afraid that he was going to force her to lower her head, but he didn’t. In fact, he was very friendly towards her. And then Momoi told him that Akashi was the reason that they wouldn’t have to worry about Hanamiya causing Kagami anymore trouble… none of it made sense.

Momoi looked between him and Kuroko as if asking for help. Kuroko shrunk up in his seat. If he knew any thing more, he wasn’t going to tell them.

“Just wait till you play him…” Aomine said. “Or just watch him play in a game. You’ll see his other side.”

She shrugged and continued to eat. “We’ll win.”

He really doubted that Seirin could win but he wasn't going to say it out loud. By the look she gave Kagami, Momoi seemed to think the same. Kagami would have to get past Akashi's emperor eye and his ankle break. And not the mention the fact that they had three uncrowned kings that Seirin would have to deal with. It almost seemed certain that Rakuzan would win. 

Aomine was impressed when Kagami finished her last burger. She even tried to steal one of his, but he grabbed it before her hand got to it and then gave her a look. She groaned and Momoi offered her the rest of her fries.

It was dark by the time they were done eating. It didn’t matter, it wasn’t like he was going to study or do any of his homework anyway.

“Tetsuya are you coming back to my place?” Kagami asked as they left Magi Burger.

He nodded. “We should really study for that test tomorrow.”

Kagami frowned. “Why? That class is boring.”

“Because your grades really aren’t that good.”

She scoffed. “It doesn’t matter, I don’t need to know anything about history to play in the WNBA.”

Aomine perked up. Kagami wanted to go pro. It was something that he decided he would do when he was a child. But he figured that he’d play for Japan’s national team… still if he could play for the NBA…

“You said that you had to graduate from high school in order to do that… and don’t you want to get into a college on a scholarship so you’ll get noticed?”

She frowned. “Okay fine, we’ll study for that stupid test.”

They said their goodbyes and the two left together, still talking about the test. Kagami was asked what would be on it, and Kuroko told her that she really needed to pay attention in class.

 Aomine was a little jealous watching the two. He and Kuroko used to have those conversations back in middle school. And she was also his light. It was almost like Kuroko had replaced him with her. Not that he shouldn’t have, Aomine will fully admit that he was an ass and he was happy that Kuroko found a new and competent basketball partner. But it still hurt.

 “Dai-chan, you were having fun talking to Kagami?” Momoi eyed him.

“Yeah why wouldn’t I? We were talking about basketball.” He knew what Momoi was really asking, if he was in love with Kagami. But there was something odd about her tone… she sounded a little resentful. “She talks big though.”

“You were the one who said ‘the only one who can beat me is me.’”

“Yeah.” He folded his arms not wanting to be reminded of that. “And why do you care? You sound a little jealous.”

She frowned at him and looked away. He groaned not understanding her. He would have thought that she would not like Kagami because she and Kuroko spent so much time together. But Momoi talked about her like they were best friends. And then she wants to know if he likes Kagami and now seems jealous that he might. The whole thing hurt his head.

“Come on, let’s go home.” He said and started to walk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for some reason, I like the idea of Aomine, Kagami, Kuroko and Momoi going on double dates. Whether the couples are Aokaga and Kuromomo, Aomomo and Kagakuro, or Aokuro and Kagamomo, or wth a foursome. 
> 
> Momoi both ships Aokaga and also hates it because she doesn't want Aomine dating her girl. So he's also a rival to her. 
> 
> I also wanted to show some character growth in Aomine. He cares a lot for Kagami at this point and that's why he refused to play a one on one. He won't say it out loud but he wants to see Seirin win the Winter Cup because she's on the team and he doesn't want her to lose to him and have that affect her game that weekend. 
> 
> I also like the idea of fem Kagami being good at teaching others to play basketball. I kind of want her to coach a team one day.
> 
> Next chapter will be the sleep over. And I'm either sick or allergies are acting, but hopefully it won't take me long to write that chapter.


	39. Sleepovers and Shoes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next sleepover!

The bus pulled up to their stop. It was the same one that Himuro had used when he left Kagami’s apartment the previous weekend. But as he stood there in the city with Murasakibara looking around at their surroundings, he couldn’t even begin to remember which direction they had to go to reach Kagami’s apartment.

So he walked over to a nearby map of the area. He could only stare blankly at it as he tried to figure out what direction they needed to go.

“Muro-chin which hotel are we staying at?” Murasakibara asked getting impatient. He pulled out a piece of candy from his pocket and stuck it into his mouth.

“Um… we’re actually not staying at a hotel.”

“Huh?” Murasakibara raised his eyebrow at him.

He forced a smile. “Taiga is letting us stay at her place this weekend.”

“What!” Murasakibara’s face got red. “Why are we staying there!”

“She invited us last weekend… and it will be a lot cheaper.” He expected this reaction from Murasakibara. If he had told him before they had left Akita, he would have refused to go with him. And although his friend insisted that he hated basketball, Himuro knew that Murasakibara really did want to watch the finals.

Himuro looked at the map again. “I’m… just not sure how to get there.”

Murasakibara scoffed. “Then we should just find a hotel.”

“She was going to buy snacks for you.” Himuro said. He knew that half of Murasakibara’s bag was full of candy and other sweets, but knowing him, that wouldn’t be enough to last the weekend.

Murasakibara glared at him for a few moments. “What’s the address?”

Himuro pulled out his cell phone and opened the text Kagami had sent to him earlier that week and handed over the phone. Murasakibara looked at it, then the map, and gestured for Himuro to follow.

As they walked, the area started to look familiar and finally they came upon her apartment complex. Himuro walked ahead of Murasakibara and led him inside. 

He checked his watch before knocking on her door, making sure Kagami would be home from practice. It was an hour past the time she said it would end, so he knocked.

The door opened, and Kuroko stood on the other side. He smiled. “Hi Himuro, Murasakibara-kun.”

“Kuro-chin? Why are you here?” Murasakibara narrowed his eyes and then looked at Himuro.

“He stays here sometimes.” Himuro said.

It was another thing he hadn’t told Murasakibara. Murasakibara had complicated feelings towards Kuroko. He couldn’t stand Kuroko’s opinions when it came to basketball. Initially Himuro thought that Murasakibara hated him. But then he would talk fondly about their time in middle school when Kuroko would win him snacks at festivals or when they would eat popsicles together.

However, during their game, Kuroko had proven Murasakibara’s philosophy wrong and Murasakibara was still getting over the loss.

Kuroko opened the door wider. Murasakibara grumbled and walked inside. He stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked back waiting for Himuro to catch up.

Himuro laughed and walked ahead. Kagami was in the kitchen reaching for something out of the top of the pantry. Himuro walked over and gave her a hug. He held her tight, not wanting to let her go.

 “I’m glad you found this place.” She said, hugging him back.

“Actually… Atsushi helped.” Himuro pointed to his friend who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but at Kagami’s apartment.

“Hi Murasakibara.” She smiled and waved and Murasakibara looked away.

Kagami reached back into the pantry and pulled out two bags of chips and then walked over to him. She held out the bags.

 “Tetsuya said that you’d like these but I wasn’t sure which flav-“

Murasakibara looked, grabbed both bags and walked over to the table.

“Atsushi, you shouldn’t take both.” Himuro said, a little embarrassed by his friend.

“No, it’s fine, I bought them for him.” Kagami said. “Hey Murasakibara, there’s more in the pantry if you run out.”

He eyed her, surprised by her response and then opened one of the bags and began eating. Kuroko sat next to him at the table.

“We’re glad you’re here Murasakibara-kun.” He said.

Murasakibara just grunted and kept eating.

“You really don’t have to spoil him.” Himuro sighed. Though it wouldn’t seem like it to those that didn’t know him, Murasakibara was now a lot happier in the apartment. If Kagami kept giving him snacks, he was never going to want to leave.

* * *

 

While Murasakibara and Himuro settled in to the guest room, Kagami and Kuroko picked up dinner. She was in no mood to cook that night because of the game the next day. After they ate, they went to the couch and turned on the TV. She and Kuroko had planned to rest that night because of their two games that weekend.

Murasakibara had gotten two more bags of snacks from her pantry and took up almost half the couch. Kagami sat next to him. Her arm brushed up against his and he pulled away from her.

“So… what do you like to watch?” She held the remote. She had been trying to get to know Murasakibara during dinner but anytime she’d try to make conversation, his answers were short. The only thing that she knew that they had in common was basketball, but she avoided that topic, unsure of how he was feeling about the game from the previous week.

Murasakibara ate a chip. “I Watch American shows with Muro-chin.”

Kagami stifled a laugh. It was hard to imagine someone like Murasakibara watching the things that Himuro liked, with all the forced drama, the who liked who, and some of the god awful romantic dialogue. 

“Um… do you have a favorite?” She asked. Kagami would likely not know whatever series he named. She didn’t keep up with American teen dramas. But he was at least talking to her.

Murasakibara shrugged. “They’re all the same.”

She did laugh that time. Himuro turned and give Murasakibara a look. For a moment Kagami thought he was going to protest, but he kept quiet.

Kagami reached into the bag and pulled out a chip. Both Kuroko and Himuro raised their hands up

“Taig-

“Tai-“

They both reached for her hand but then stopped once they glanced at Murasakibara.

He looked slightly annoyed as he watched her eat it. And then he went and ate another chip. Himuro and Kuroko relaxed.

Nigou hopped off Kuroko’s lap and then stood in front of Murasakibara wagging his tail. He yipped.

Murasakibara looked at the chip in his hand and then back at the dog.

“No, I’m not giving you any.” He frowned and then ate it.

Nigou started to whine and Murasakibara pulled the bag closer to him. “no.” He said and Nigou gave him a very sad look.

Murasakibara groaned and pulled one out . “Fine.” He tossed it to Nigou. Nigou wagged his tail and happily hate it.

“Why do you look so much like Kuro-chin?” He reached down and started petting Nigou. His had was almost the size of the puppy. When he finished, the dog jumped into his lap. Kagami, having not expected it, scooted way.

“Are you two ready for your game tomorrow?” Himuro asked as a show droned on in the background.

“I think so, we are playing Kaijo.” On one hand, she felt confident. After beating Midorima, Aomine and Murasakibara, she wasn’t too worried. Kise himself had said that he was the weakest of the generation of miracles.

On the other, Aomine had given her a warning. Kise would be very different in a real game. She had seen a little of it during his game with Haizaki. But still, Seirin had one that practice game against Kaijo

“Kise-chin isn’t going to win tomorrow.” Murasakibara said staring at the TV.

“Does that mean that you’ll be cheering for Seirin tomorrow.” Himuro grinned at him.

Murasakibara scoffed and leaned over so that his arm was resting on the arms rest and rested the side of his face in his hand. “If I lost to Kuro-chin and Kaga-chin, then there’s no way Kise-chin can win.”

Himuro just laughed. “What do you think Kuroko?”

“We’ve beat Kaijo in a practice game, but Kise can now copy all the generation of miracles.” He paused. “I am very worried about tomorrow’s game.”

Kagami sighed. She had almost forgotten about that little detail. The game would be like playing against Aomine, Midorima, Murasakibara, Kuroko, and Akashi. She could block Midorima’s shots, so that one shouldn’t be a problem. And she had gotten past Murasakibara’s block. Aomine… he would be difficult, especially with how unpredictable he was. She had never played against Akashi and wasn’t sure how she would get past his ankle breaker.

She smirked and eyed Kuroko “Yeah, look what you did when you cheered for him.”

Kuroko looked at her wide eyed.

She put her hand on his shoulder. “I’m just kidding Tetsuya. I wanted Kaijo to win that game, and I’m glad that we’re not playing Haizaki’s team.”

Kuroko breathed. “His perfect copy does have a time limit and he is injured…” Kuroko began. “He’ll probably use it at the end of the game… we should score as many points as possible before then.”

Kagami nodded. It was the only strategy that could work. Playing against all the generation of miracles would have her exhausted fast. There would be no way they could make a comeback in the fourth quarter.

As the night went on Murasakibara went through almost all the snacks she had bought. As they were about to go to bed, Kagami texted Alex, asking her to pick up for tomorrow.

Himuro and Murasakibara followed Kuroko to the guest room. Murasakibara seemed a little taken aback when Kuroko walked into the room.

“Huh, I have to share a room with Kuroko-chin?”

Kuroko looked at him with a straight face. “The only other room is Kagami’s You could ask if she’ll share.”

Murasakibara’s face got red and then he pushed his way past Kuroko into the room.

* * *

 

 In the morning, she pulled cereal out of the pantry and poured herself a bowl. It was one that she always ate in America and not exactly the healthiest thing in her apartment, but she was too tense to make anything else.

Murasakibara sat at the table eying the box.

“You eat sweets for breakfast?” He said.

She looked down at her bowl. It did look a bit like candy. Practically every color of the rainbow was represented.

“Yeah a lot of people eat this for breakfast in America.” She reached for the milk. “Would you like some?”

Murasakibara grabbed the box and poured himself some into a bowl. He started eating it dry. She was about to pass him the milk but he seemed happy enough eating each piece individually.

Himuro walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. He saw what Kagami was eating and frowned.

“Um… that’s what your eating before your game?”

She nodded.

“I don’t think you could have chosen a more sugary cereal.” He walked over to the refrigerator and pulling out eggs.  

“It’s my favorite.” She said and stuffed another spoonful into her mouth. She was going to special order food from America, she was going to get the stuff that tasted good.

Himuro laughed. “It looks like Atsushi likes it too, he’s going to want to come here every day for breakfast.”

“Huh?” Murasakibara eyed him.

Himuro made his own breakfast and put a plate in front of Kagami.

“You’ll need some protein.”

“Thank you.” She said. She checked the time. Kuroko was still asleep and although they had a few hours before they had to meet their team, she didn’t want him to sleep in too late. “Can you wake up Tetsuya?”

“Yeah sure.” He said.

When Kuroko walked into the kitchen, his hair was a complete mess. Kagami sighed and went to grab her brush.

After breakfast, Kuroko got up to take Nigou outside. But he didn’t even get out the door when he came back into the kitchen.

“Um… my shoe broke.” He said holding it up for everyone to see. Half of the bottom was ripped and hanging.

 “What… How….” Kagami looked at the shoe, wondering how it had gotten that bad just that morning. Kuroko should have noticed that it was tearing earlier that week. “Never mind, we have a few hours, let’s just go get you another pair.” She stood up.

Kagami grabbed her shoes and put one on. Her foot pushed right through the bottom. She stared at it almost not believing that it had ripped. And then a feeling of horror came over her.

“Um Taiga-“

“No!” She shrieked and threw the shoe to the ground. “How am I supposed to get new shoes before the game!”

Himuro ran over. “Taiga, calm down, you were just going to buy shoes with Kuroko, you can just-“

“Do you have any idea how hard it is to find shoes in my size!” She yelled practically in tears. There was no worse time for this to happen.

“Okay…” Himuro spoke more gently. “Where do you usually get them?”

She looked at him and narrowed her eyes. “Online.” For that moment, she was starting every short person that had never had any problem finding shoes in their size. This was also a problem in America, and there was only one store that she found that carried her size in women’s.

“Oh… um…” He looked at the other shoes at the entry way. “Do you think you could wear Atsushi’s?”

“Tatsuya those are way too big!” She pointed at Murasakibara’s shoes. They made hers look small.

“I’m a size smaller…”

“I can’t wear yours!”

“I know… um let me ask the others on my team…” He pulled out his phone and started texting. It wasn’t long before he got responses and his expression told her that he had no luck. “They’re all too big… except for Fukui… his are smaller than mine.”

She let out a yell of frustration and wanted to slam her fist against the wall.

Himuro put his hand on her shoulder. Kagami was tempted to slap it away.

“Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out.” Himuro said. “Atsushi where do you usually by shoes?”

“Online, no one had shoes my size.” He said, sounding like is mouth was full of cereal.

Kagami was getting tenser by the second. If they couldn’t find her shoes she wouldn’t get to play that day, and likely the next. Seirin would also have no hope of winning with out her. She considered calling Kise and asking him if he had an extra pair but then thought it would be odd to ask their opponent for their shoes. He might not even wear the same size.

“Okay here’s what we’ll do.” Himuro started. You two go out and buy Kuroko shoes, then try look for shoes your size. Murasakibara and I will also go out and look for shoes. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

“What… I have to find Kaga-chin shoes?” Murasakibara looked over at them holding a handful of cereal.

“Come on Atsushi, she let us stay here last night, and she has a game today.” Himuro grabbed his coat. “And you know I’ll get lost in this city.”

Murasakibara scoffed and walked over to get his shoes.

“Taiga, is there any color you would like?” Himuro asked.

“Tatsuya just any that would fit me!” She didn’t mean to snap at him, she was just so stressed. And in that situation, she wasn’t going to be picky on the color. Bright neon green and orange would be fine if they fit.

“Okay, we’ll text you if we find anything. You do the same.” Himuro said.

Kagami groaned and grabbed a pair of boots. They were the only shoes in her apartment that should could wear outside into h winter. She was about to put them on when she noticed her pants. Sighing she ran to her room and grabbed a pair of pants that would fit in the boots. And they were form fitting. Those combined with the boots that had a heal would not allow her to move as fast as she wanted in the city.

She ran to the entrance. Murasakibara eyed her up and down and then looked away, his face getting red.  


“Well text you if we find anything.” Himuro said. “You two do the same.”

Kagami nodded, and stuck one foot in a boot. She nearly startled her self when she realized that Kuroko was standing next to her, on his phone texting.

“Come on Tetsuya, you can do that later we have to find shoes.”

* * *

 

They bought a pair of shoes for Kuroko in the very first store that they visited. As predicted, it didn’t have her size. They went to shop after shop, a few Kuroko had to wait outside because they didn’t allow dogs. Any time she came out of a shop, Kuroko would be on his phone. It annoyed her because she figured that it was slowing them down, but she didn’t say anything.

 But they found nothing. In one of the shops, she tried on the largest pair she could find, but they were still way too small.

She’d text Himuro asking if he found anything. But he didn’t. And they now had an hour before they had to meet up with Seirin.

“We’re not going to find any.” She said wanting to sink to her knees and start crying. Winning the winter cup sounded like only a pipe dream. And all over shoes.

Kuroko pulled out his phone. “Actually, Momo has shoes for you.”

“What!” She shouted getting the attention of a couple nearby. “Why does she- Tetsuya why didn’t you tell me, we could have saved a lot of time!”

For a moment she wondered why Momoi would just so happen to have shoes her size, but then figured that she had a lot of extra pairs for her team.

“You told me to get off my phone before we left.” Kuroko said deadpanned. “But I’ll text Momoi and tell her that we didn’t find any shoes for you.”

He grabbed his phone and started texting. She folded her arms, still angry, at the same time, wanted to give Momoi the biggest hug.

“She’ll meet us at the part where you two play basketball.

* * *

 

His phone vibrated, waking him up. Aomine grabbed his it and went to his messages. The text was from Momoi. He was about to put down his phone and go back to sleep, but then he read the first word.

_Tai-chan._

He rolled over to his side and read the rest of the message.

_Tai-chan needs basketball shoes for the game today. Her’s broke._

_I’ll be over soon to grab one of yours._

He nearly dropped the phone when he finished reading. And then he rolled out of bed and dragged himself over to his shoe collection

 “Bakagami, you should have more than one pair of basketball shoes.” He opened the first box he grabbed and looked inside. And then closed it up, figuring she wouldn’t like that style.

He opened more boxes checking the colors, and imagining her wearing them. Then he realized there was a more important deciding factor.

He grabbed a box towards the bottom. He had only worn the shoes inside a few times, the color just didn’t suit him, but they looked like something Kagami would wear.

He got himself ready to go outside and finished just as Momoi knocked on his door. He answered the door holding the box.

“These will work.” He said and then stepped outside.

“Dai-chan are you going with me?” Momoi blinked.

“You sound like you don’t want me to.” He rolled his eyes.

“No, it’s just, I thought you would still be sleeping.”

She was right about that. If it had been for anyone else, he would have stayed in bed and let Momoi walk into his room to grab the shoes.

“She has a game soon.” Aomine ignored her last statement. “Let’s get going.”

* * *

 

Kagami had texted Himuro, letting him know that they had a pair of shoes and to meet them at her apartment. Luckily, she had thought to put the stuff that she would need for the game in her bag the previous night.

“Tetsuya, if you want, you can go meet the team, I’ll be there soon.”

They had half an hour and it was unlikely that they would make it on time. Riko was going to yell at them for being late.

“No I’ll wait here with you.” He said petting Nigou.

She checked the time again, wondering where Momoi was. But just as she did, Momoi came walking onto the court, with Aomine was following.

She looked between the two and saw that Aomine was the one holding a shoe box. Momoi ran right to Kuroko and Aomine walked over to her, not making eye contact, but staring at the ground.

“Here.” He said pushing the box into her hands. “I’ve worn them before, so they’re broken in.”

“Um thanks.” She said opening up the box. They did look nice. “I’m just glad you had extra shoes.”

“Of course he does.” Momoi looked over and smiled. “Dai-chan has a shoe collection.”

“Satsuki-“ Aomine glared at her.

Kagami stifled laugher, amused that Aomine collected shoes.

Earlier, Kagami had wanted to give Momoi a hug for having shoes for her. But Aomine was the one letting her borrow his. She was tempted to throw her arms around him, but wasn’t sure if that would make things weird between them.

 “And just keep them.” Aomine said. “And get another extra pair in case this happens again.”

She eyed the ground, feeling her face get red. He was right. She really should have more than one pair, especially considering how hard it was for her to find them.

 “I feel kind of bad keeping your shoes. Do you want any money for them?”

“No.” He said folding his arms. “Just take them.”

“We could play a one on one and I’ll only take them if i-“

“You have a game today.” He cut her off. “And how are you going to play wearing those?” He pointed to her boots.

“Oh…” she had almost forgotten she was wearing those. And now she knew why Aomine seemed to be looking at the ground and she groaned.

Kagami sat down and put on the shoes. She took a few steps. They fit perfectly.

“These are nice,” And they really were comfortable. She was going to have to ask Aomine where he got them.

 Then she looked at the basketball hoop. “I could play you now-“

“No.” Aomine shook his head. “If you want a one on one that bad, we’ll play next week after the finals.” He said.

She stuck out her lower lip. She really did want to play a game against him and he seemed to think that she didn’t have the stamina to play both a one on one and a game later that day.

“Just win today’s game.” He said. You have to meet your team soon anyway. Isn’t the game in two hours?”

She blinked remembering the time. She and Kuroko really were going to be late.

She picked up her boots. “Hey Tetsuya we have to- AH!”

She turned and he was right behind her, holding Nigou, the dog was practically in her face. She moved away, putting Aomine between her and the dog and had to stop herself from grabbing his arm.   


“I said not to sneak up on me with Nigou!” She said shaking.

Aomine frowned at her. “Why are you afraid of that cute puppy?” he started petting Nigou. Momoi walked over and started scratching behind its ears.

“It’s not cute.” She folded her arms.

Aomine was about to say something else but Momoi interrupted.

“Um Tetsu-kun, Tai-chan, you two really should go.”

Kagami checked the time again. They had five minutes before they had to meet their team.

“Come on Tetsuya.” She gestured for him to follow. “And Aomine… thanks again.” She said.

He only shrugged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So while the Wiki says that Himuro likes American dramas, they probably mean some serious intellectual show... but I think its far more fun to imagine Himuro watching shows meant for teens. I had to look up and see what as on air in 2009 because back then I was only really watching the Disney channel. But One Tree Hill (Something he would totally watch considering there's a lot of basketball in it,), Secret Life of an American Teenager. (oh God no!) Gossip girl. He probably watched Reruns of the OC and Dawson's creek... So just choose your favorite and that's waht he and Himuro watch together.
> 
> Next up is the Kaijo game. That one will probably take longer to write.


	40. Rakuzan vs Shutoku

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I kind of lied. I forgot all about the Rakuzan and Shutoku game, and there were some important moments there. (Such as one of the few times Kagami and Akashi speak to each other.) The Kaijo game will be next chapter.

Kagami stopped to send a text to Riko, explaining why they were going to be late. She and Kuroko still hadn’t made it back to her apartment and the rest of the team had met up over ten minutes ago.

Her phone vibrated. She unlocked it and read the text.

_You and Kuroko only had one pair of shoes! Okay fine just meet us when you get here!_

She was about to respond to the text, but she looked up and saw that she was about to run into someone else. She came to a quick stop and nearly lost her balance. The other guy tried to run around her but didn’t anticipate that she would stop and lost his footing and fell to the ground.

“Ouch!” He said pushing himself up to his knees.

“Are you alright?” Kagami reached down to help him up.

He looked at her and grinned revealing two of his teeth that looked like fangs.

“Yeah I’m fine Kagami.” He spoke to her as if she were one of his friends. He stood up and brushed himself off. “Sorry I can’t really stay and talk, I’m very late.” He started to run but then looked back. “And Kagami, you shouldn’t text and run, we won’t get to play you tomorrow if you get hurt.”

Kagami tilted her head. “Um…. Who was that?”

Kuroko shrugged. “He was wearing a Rakuzan jacket.”

“Oh…” His last statement made a lot more sense. Although he seemed to think that Seirin had already won their game against Kaijo.

She checked the time. “Their game is starting very soon… he really is running late.” Rakuzan and Shutoku were probably on the court warming up.

Kuroko nodded. “Akashi will not be happy.”

Himuro and Murasakibara were waiting for them at the apartment. Kagami and Kuroko grabbed their bags and the four of them left.

They nearly missed the next bus. Kagami had to grab Kuroko’s hand and run just to make. Kuroko stumbled as Kagami dragged him along, but she held his arm up high enough that he wouldn’t fall over.

Murasakibara shook his head at them as they boarded the bus.

The game between Shutoku and Rakuzan had already started by the time they arrived. Kagami could hear people cheering as they ran through the halls towards the locker rooms.

 “I’m out of snacks.” Murasakibara said, holding his bag upside down and crumbs fell out.

“I’ll go get you some more Atsushi.” Himuro said. “Just stay with Kuroko and Kagami.” He turned towards the direction of the vending machines. Murasakibara looked like he wanted to follow, but he stayed with her and Kuroko.

They walked into the locker rooms. Kagami carried her bag behind a wall of them where she couldn’t see the other two. Usually she would have gone to her own room, but they were late enough as it was and halftime would be starting soon.

She peaked around the corner... “Hey if either of you look I’ll kill you!” She didn’t have any reason to believe that they would, it was just something that she felt like she had to say.

“Wait your changing in here!” Murasakibara said and she could only imagine that he was blushing.

She rolled her eyes wondering what he thought she was doing.

“Yeah, like I said, just don’t look.” She pulled off her shirt. Kagami wouldn’t have cared if they had seen her in a sports bra, her team had plenty of times. But she had a feeling Murasakibara wouldn’t be able to handle it despite it being something that many women wore to the gym.

 “Do you always change your clothes with your team?” Murasakibara groaned.

She almost laughed. It wasn’t the first time she had gotten a question along those lines. Other students at her school had asked if she changed and showered in the locker room with the rest of the team. And then she’d explain how the team handled that issue.

“No… last week I used another locker room, and sometimes I’ll use the ref’s office.” She checked the time. “But we’re already late and this is just faster. She put her shirt on and then fixed her ponytail.

“Hey Kuroko, are you finished?” She asked when she was done changing.

“Yes.” He said.

She walked around the lockers and saw Murasakibara sitting on the bench staring at the floor.

“Murasakibara-kun, you don’t have to be shy.” Kuroko said, seeming way to amused by the situation.

Murasakibara lifted his head and frowned. His face was a little red.

A few seconds later, Himuro walked in and handed Murasakibara three bags of snacks. Murasakibara snatched one out of his hand and started eating.

“Atsushi are you alright?” He asked.

“Fine!” Murasakibara grumbled and shoved chips in his mouth. “I should have gone with you.”

Himuro tried to figure out what had just happened but then gave up.

“Half time is about to start and Seirin and Kaijo are going out to warm up.”

Kagami nodded. “I guess I’ll see you two after our game?”

“Yeah and um… good luck.” He said breaking eye contact. He gestured for Murasakibara to follow him.

Murasakibara stood up, and walked over to her.

“Um Kaga-chin…”. He pulled a protein bar out of her pocket and put it in her hand. “Before you play Kaijo…” His face was very red and he couldn’t look at her.

Kagami read the label. Chocolate raspberry flavored and then she smiled. “Thank you.” She would have given him a hug but he had enough trouble accidently brushing up against her.

* * *

 

When she and Kuroko walked into the gym, Kagami checked the score. Rakuzan and Shutoku were tied. By the way Kuroko and the others spoke about Akashi, she thought that Shutoku would have been down several points.

As she walked across the court, she could feel so many eyes on her from those watching. She glanced up at the crowd and picked out a group of girls wearing blue and another wearing orange.

The two teams were warming up and neither noticed her and Kuroko enter. She located Riko, who was talking to Hyuga. Hyuga made eye contact and then pointed towards her and Kuroko

Riko ran over to them.

 “You two found shoes right?” She asked almost sounding panicked and then looked at both of their feet.

Kagami thought she had made it clear in the text that they both had shoes, but maybe the situation had stressed Riko out more than she realized.

“Yeah… mine are actually Aomine’s” She pointed at hers. “He said I could keep them.”

“Aomine’s…” Riko tilted her head. “Um Kagami…”

“Don’t worry, he had a whole collection.” She laughed wanting to his shoe collection. It still sounded absurd for him to have one.

Riko sighed. “You really don’t get it do you…. Never mind. But next time your shoes break let me know and I’ll have the whole team searching the city… actually no, just have an extra pair of shoes.

She pointed to where the rest of the team was doing lay ups. “Now you two go warm up. We have eight minutes left.”

The others from Seirin greeted her as she made her way over.

“We’re glad you two made it.” Kiyoshi smiled and patted her on the back.

“Yeah… I don’t know how we would have played Kaijo without you two…” Izuki said and passed her a basketball.

Kagami glanced over at the other side of the court where Kaijo was warming up. Kise dunked the ball, similar to the way she did it at the beginning of the year. He looked over at her and grinned.

She scoffed and ran and did the same, only harder. Then she wondered if he could copy her. With his injury, he really shouldn’t. But if Kaijo were desperate she knew he would. The real question was whether or not he could jump as high as her. Kuroko had said that he couldn’t do anything that he wasn’t physically capable of. But again, if Kaijo were desperate…

Towards the end of half time, the end of halftime, Koganei failed to make a shot. It rolled by Kagami and across the side lines. She ran after it. She was about to reach for it when someone else had picked it up. It was a very tall player from Rakuzan. The other two teams had come back onto the court.

 “Here you go Kagami.” The Rakuzan player handed it to her. “I can’t believe they made you run to get the ball.” He frowned at her team.

“Um… I was the closest...” She tilted her head. It only made sense that she’d be the one to get it. Had someone else been where she was, they would have gotten the ball.

“But thank you…” She took the ball from him. The guy was very tall and muscular and she wondered how Kiyoshi would do against him.

Looking past him she saw the guy she met earlier whispering to a guy with long black hair and pointing at her.

Then she glanced over at Kuroko and saw Akashi talking to him. There was something about Akashi… despite being only a little taller than Kuroko… he looked like he towered over him. But Kuroko didn’t seem the least bit intimidated.

She walked over wanting to hear a little of their conversation.

“Hey.” She said stopping behind Kuroko.

Akashi looked at her and somehow, she suddenly felt smaller than him. The look he gave her made her want to scrunch up on the floor. But she stood there, doing her best to stare back at him.

“Taiga.” He spoke and his face softened but was still intimidating. “I look forward to playing you tomorrow… don’t disappoint me today.”

“Um… okay…” For a moment she as actually worried about not living up to expectations. But then she brushed it off wondering why she should even care. He was just another one of the generation of miracles that she had to beat, and the final one.

Akashi looked at the scoreboard. “That score is unacceptable, Rakuzan will have to step up their game.”

“Uh…” She had no idea how to talk to this guy and looked at Kuroko for help. Kuroko just glared at Akashi, his eyes narrowed a little.

 “Kotaro was polite to you today?” Akashi continued. She nearly took a step back when his eyes focused on her again.

“Who?” She asked.

“My teammate, he said that he met you in Tokyo today.”

“Oh…” he was talking about the blond she had almost run into earlier. “Yeah he was nice…” Their meeting was very brief, not long enough to make a real impression on her.

“Good.” He said.

Half time ended.

“We’ll see you tomorrow.” He said and walked over towards the bench.

“Um yeah…” it was one of the most awkward conversations she had ever had. She glanced over at Kaijo. Shutoku was nearby and both Kise and Midorima had been watching. Kise looked confused and Midorima looked annoyed.

They walked over to the sidelines and Kagami folded her arms, embarrassed about that conversation which consisted of her mostly saying “uh,” “um” and other one worded responses. She had expected Akashi to talk down to her but he talked to her as if they were friends, yet was somehow still very intimidating. And now she wanted Shutoku to win.

She glanced at the scoreboard. “They’re tied… so I guess that they are equal in strength?”

Kuroko shook his head. “Akashi likely hasn’t used his eyes yet.”

Kuroko had explained Akashi’s emperor eye before but she had never actually seen it, and now she was curious.

Third quarter started. The two teams seemed equal. Otsubo stopped Hayama from scoring and then after Rakuzan’s center stole the ball from Otsubo. He passed to Akashi.

Akashi walked slowly across half court and Takao ran to mark him. He dribbled, focusing on Takao. Kagami barely saw what happened next. Akashi moved very fast and the next thing she knew, Takao had fallen to the ground. Akashi ran past him, maneuvering around Miyaji and Otsubo, who were still shocked at what had just happened, and he scored two points.

Kagami stared at him, trying to replay in her head what had just happened. But she couldn’t figure out what exactly Akashi had done to make Takao fall like that.

Midorima walked over and helped Takao stand up and Takao looked just as confused as she was by what had just happened.

“So that’s his ankle breaker?” She asked.

Kuroko nodded.

Midorima had the ball. He got ready to shoot, but before he even lifted his arms, Akashi hit the ball out of his hand. He barely even seemed to look where he was hitting.

“Um…” Kagami wasn’t sure what to think.

“He knows how Midorima plays.” Kuroko said. “He knew what he was going to do and where the ball would be. And he probably had that planned from the beginning of the game.”

* * *

 

Momoi sat and watched the game. She had wondered how Midorima would do against Akashi. It was hard to tell at first because Akashi hadn’t used his emperor eye in the first half. But now that he was, Shutoku was starting to struggle. Even Midorima, who probably knew Akashi the best in middle school was struggling.

 Aomine was next to her watching with his chin resting in his hand. During half time, when Kagami entered the gym, he had smiled.

He wasn’t fooling her. She knew he wanted more than a one nightery with Kagami. A part of her want to squeal knowing that he was in love with someone, another part… was annoyed. He was now her rival. And he and Kagami had so much more in common that she did. That wasn’t even mentioning the issue whether or not Kagami was into girls.

As far as she knew, she had two rivals, Aomine and Kise. They both had to compete with a model.

She focused on the game. The point gap between Rakuzan and Shutoku was now increasing. Akashi used his ankle break on Takao again and ran right past him. Even from the stands, she could see that look in his eye, the one that appeared in middle school after a one on one with Murasakibara.

“Akashi really hasn’t changed.”

“Did you really expect him too?” Aomine eyed her. “He’s never lost and he probably thinks Rakuzan has already won the winter cup.”

She agreed. Akashi likely thought his win was absolute and it would be wonderful if someone could prove him wrong. But it didn’t look like it would be Shutoku, especially knowing Midorima’s past friendship with Akashi. But there was still the finals tomorrow.

“Do you think Seirin can win?” She asked. “I mean do you think they can beat Rakuzan?”

Aomine shrugged. “They have to beat Kaijo first.” he said and then smirked at her. “Have you already decided that Shutoku is going to lose?”

“No… I just…” She scrunched up starting to get annoyed. “I just want to know if you think Seirin can win tomorrow.”

“I really don’t know Satsuki.” Aomine said and sighed. “But they beat us so maybe.”

* * *

 

Kagami was starting to feel bad for Shutoku. There was now a ten-point gap between the teams and Rakuzan seemed to be on a whole different level than them. Not even Midorima was scoring his threes and Takao could not guard Akashi without getting an ankle break.

She liked Shutoku’s team and did want them to win. It would be nice to play their third years one last time in the finals.

Midorima got ready to shoot. Only he didn’t have the ball. He jumped up and for a moment Kagami thought he had lost it. But then Takao threw the ball to him. As soon as it touched his hands he shot it and it went into the basket.

Kagami smiled and cheered. She wasn’t sure if she could jump high enough to block that shot but she didn’t care at that moment.

Shutoku’s bench also cheered loudly and there seemed to be a renewed energy within the players on the court. Midorima used that skill again and scored another three points. The other three were able to keep up with the Rakuzan players. And Rakuzan was feeling it too. Three of their players were getting frustrated as they tried to guard Miyaji, Otsubo, and Kimura, all who had gotten much faster and more focused after Midorima had made that shot.

“Maybe we will play Shutoku in the finals.” Kagami said.

Kuroko just kept watching, but from the look on his face, he didn’t seem at all convinced.

Hyuga put his hand on her shoulder. “Kagami we still have to win our game today.”

She rolled her eyes. “We’re not losing to Kaijo.”

“You shouldn’t be over confident!” Hyuga yelled.

“Kagami it sounds like you really don’t want that date.” Kiyoshi grinned and put his hand on her head.

Her face got red. “What… no… it’s not that… we’re winning the Winter Cup!” The words spilled out of her mouth. She really didn’t want to talk about that with her team.

Akashi glared at everyone on his team, and then stole a pass that was meant for Miyaji. He gave them one last look before throwing the ball into his own basket scoring two points for Shutoku.

Kagami blinked. “Why did he…”

“When did I tell you that you could slack off.” He said to his team. “This game is not over yet.”

Kagami looked at Kuroko as Akashi continued to lecture. But Kuroko only looked down and shook his head slowly.

“This is just a high school game.” Hyuga mumbled.

“If we lose this game,” Akashi continued to lecture. “I will take responsibility for that shot and gauge out my eyes.”

Kagami looked at Kuroko whose’ s mouth hung open. “He’s not really going to do it is he?”

Kuroko tensed up. “If Akashi makes a promise… he’ll do it.”

Rakuzan’s demeanor changed. The five of them looked far stronger than they had before and it was almost like a different team walked out on the court.

Midorima went to mark Akashi. Akashi looked at him blankly and dribbled. Then he faked right then left before running by and Midorima tried to follow but fell over.

Kagami rested her forehead in her hands. It was the first time she had seen Akashi use his ankle break on Midorima and it was just painful to watch. Kagami still had no idea exactly what he was doing or why that skill had a one hundred percent success rate.  

Shutoku suddenly seemed disorganized. Hayama ran past Miyaji and scored before he even knew Hayama had gotten past him, Otsubo couldn’t block a shot from Nebuya, Kimura missed a rebound…

Then Kagami saw a guy with grayish hair on the court. He didn’t seem particularly strong like the other four players and in fact, she had barely noticed him.

Akashi went to shoot the ball. Midorima made a desperate attempt to stop him. But before he could reach the ball,  Akashi passed to Rakuzan’s center. The center caught it and dunked.

Midorima looked at Akashi and then walked away his head down.

On the next play, Takao was being double teamed, which seemed like an odd choice to Kagami. She’d have thought it would have made more sense to double team Midorima considering that he could shoot threes from anywhere on the court. But Takao managed to maneuver around the two, making it look easy. Kagami cheered as he went to pass to Midorima. Midorima jumped, getting ready to shoot, but as Takao passed, Akashi got between the two and caught the ball.

Akashi turned to Midorima. “I told you that you won’t touch the ball anymore this game.”

 There was less than two minutes left on the clock and Shutoku looked defeated. Even Midorima didn’t look confident anymore. With a fifteen-point gap, there was no chance for them to catch up.

Kuroko nudged her. “You should try cheering for him.”

“Huh?” Kagami looked at the clock. “Kuroko, how is that going to help? Shutoku has no time to close the point gap.”

“Maybe not.” Kuroko said and then glanced at Midorima. “But I think it will mean something to him.”

She eyed Midorima. It did hurt to see him practically giving up. He had helped her over the summer and he, as well as the rest of Shutoko, wanted to play Kagami later in the Winter Cup. 

She took a deep breath.

“Hey Midorima, you still have two minutes left in the game! Don’t let him tell you that you’re not going to touch the ball again!”

Midorima turned and looked over at her wide eyed. She smiled at him.

Rakuzan passed the ball pack into play. Midorima ran and stole it before it got to Hayama and he passed to Takao.

Akashi blinked as he watched what had just happened. And then he ran after Takao. Takao passed to Miyaji before Akashi could catch up and Miyaji scored.

Kuroko smiled at her.

She could only watch, stunned that it had actually worked.

When Shutoku had the ball again. Takao passed to Otsubo who passed to Midroima, who was far behind half court. He jumped and shot the ball scoring another three points.

* * *

 

Akashi stood and watched as Midorima scored that three pointer, trying to keep his composure. That shouldn’t have happened... his predictions were absolute but he didn’t see this happening. He glanced over at Kagami… somehow, she had interfered with his plans.

He started to laugh quietly.

_Taiga you are a worthy opponent._

With the last minute, he was going to have to adjust the strategy. Sure, they were going to win... but he wouldn’t let his team play poorly in those last seconds.

He glanced at Kagami and then at Midroima. It all made sense. Akashi walked over to his former teammate.

 “I understand now Shintaro.” He said. “But there is no time for you to catch up to us.”

Midorima only gave him a look that had a hint of smugness. Akashi wanted to force him down to his knees right there, but the next play was starting.

* * *

 

The point gap closed a little but Shutoku was still guaranteed to lose. At least they didn’t look completely defeated as they continued to play all out till the end.

Akashi had seemed a little shaken up after Midorima stole that pass. But he was now back to his old self and making up for Shutoku’s increased speed. He even blocked another shot from Midorima.

But then Takao went to block Mibuchi. Mibuchi faked and Takao jumped bumping into him and fouling him. Mibuchi shot a three and scored. And now he had one free throw.

Kagami put her hand over her face. “Takao…” Maybe she should have cheered for him too.

Mibuchi made his free throw. Shutoku had the ball. Takao got it and quickly passed to Midorima before Akashi could get over to him and Midorima shot the ball, much faster than Kagami had ever seen. It looked a little sloppy, but it went into the basket, just as the buzzer went off.

It wasn’t a buzzer beater, Shutoku was still behind ten points. But he still got the last points.

Kagami cheered as it went in and smiled at Midorima again. He looked away from her and adjusted his glasses.

As the two teams lined up, Riko gestured for everyone to follow. “Alright everyone,” She spoke. “Let’s go, our game starts soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gave everyone a midokaga moment. It didn't give Shutoku the win because of time but it gave Midorima a small victory over Kagami... and ruffled up Akashi a little. 
> 
> I think all the Kagami x GOM ships got a moment in the chapter.
> 
> Gonna try to get the Kaijo game written this weekend. Next week is Kikaga week and I'll be writing fics for that. I'm not sure if I can get another chapter for this fic out during that week.


	41. Seirin vs Kaijo Rematch Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this game was by far the hardest to write. And it's mostly because of the middle where Kise is sitting on the bench and the most exciting part doesn't really happen until the end. So expect a lot of jumping around in the stands.
> 
> But here is part one.

She took a bite of her protein bar. Murasakibara was right, it was very good. In fact, one of the best she had ever eaten.

Kuroko watched her, seeming a little confused.

“What?” She asked and then took another bite.

“Um its just... Murasakibara-kun never gives away his snacks.”

“You haven’t really hung around him since middle school… maybe he’s changed?”

Kuroko shook his head. “He also let you steal a chip from him last night… even Himuro was nervous when you did that.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What are you getting at?”

Kuroko grinned. “I think he likes you.”

“Huh?” She titled her head. “Him?” She wasn’t sure if Murasakibara had an affinity for anything other than food.

Kuroko nodded. “I’ve never seen him act the way he does around you.”

“So Murasakibara… Kise… you’re convinced that Midorima has feelings for me… who’s next… Aomine?” She laughed.

Kuroko looked down at the ground. “Um no…” He was trying to cover for him but his reaction gave it away.

“No way…” Kagami blinked. She had heard that Aomine liked tiny girls with big boobs and she was anything but that. She wasn’t even sure if he liked her, but in love? That was hard to wrap her head around.

Kuroko kept staring at the ground, his face suggesting that he had betrayed his friend.

“Come on Tetsuya, I just happened to guess and you’re just very bad at lying. And don’t worry, I won’t say anything to him.” She’d prefer it if Aomine told her personally anyway. To see him be sensitive or blushing for a moment, that made her smile.

She looked down at the shoes she was wearing, now understanding their meeting earlier. She lifted one of her feet to get a better look. They really were comfortable.

But Kuroko had just confirmed that four of the five miracles had a crush on her. When she had first heard of them back at the beginning of the year, she had become determined to beat them all in a game… this was something that she never expected to happen. Not that she was opposed to it, they were all really hot. And she always figured, if she didn’t marry Himuro, that she would marry a basketball player.

“I just have to know… why me? I’m not the only girl in the world.”

“Because you share their love of basketball.” Kuroko answered.

It made sense. If she wanted to marry a basketball player, they likely did too. Although it surprised her that they would all go for an athletic girl.

 “But four guys?” It would have been so much easier if only one had liked her instead of having to choose.

“And… I don’t think they are the only ones.”

She sighed. “There’s more?”

Kuroko nodded. “You’re going to break a lot of hearts one day.”

* * *

 

The stands cheered as both teams walked out on to the court. Kagami tried to locate Himuro and Alex up in the stands but it was impossible.

Hyuga shook Kasamatsu’s hand. There wasn’t any animosity in it, just two friendly rivals. And Hyuga seemed far more confident as captain than when they played their practice game.

Kiyoshi spoke to Kaijo’s center wishing him good luck and the rest of Seirin spoke to Kaijo on friendly terms. It was a huge breath of fresh air from all their previous games.

Kise approached her and Kuroko.

“Kagamicchi… I’m not going to lose today.” He grinned. “I really want to ask you out on that date.”

She smirked at him.  “Then maybe you should have said that you’d ask me out if I won.”

Kise blinked. “But you already did… the practice game remember?”

“Oh right.” And she had turned him down before that game. It didn’t help that he had asked right after he beat her in that one on one… and several of his fangirls were watching and not to pleased that she had gotten his attention.

“It’ doesn’t matter, I’m going to win today. And you know, ever since I lost that game, I’ve come to realize that I really to love basketball.”

She raised her eyebrow. “Um… you didn’t before?” There was no way that he would keep playing or be as good as he was if he didn’t like the game. So to find out in high school after he had been playing for two years seemed odd.

He laughed. “I did… I just didn’t realize how much… and, just so you know, I’m going to put everything on the line to win today. As much as I want to ask you out, I also do want to play in the finals.”

Kagami looked down at his leg. It didn’t seem to be hurting. But still, she knew Haizaki had really hurt it at the quarter finals.

Kuroko then stepped forward. “Kise-kun…” He began. “I was just thinking about how back in middle school, I really didn’t like you.”

“What!” Kise stared at him wide eyed.

Kagami put her hand over her face. “Kuroko is this really the right time to say that to him?”

“I mean it in a good way.” Kuroko clarified. “But I’ve always thought of you in a special way. Back in middle school, when you joined the team, I was assigned to be your mentor and you surpassed me so fast… so I’ve always thought of you as my rival.”

“What really!” Kise suddenly looked starry eyed. “Now I really can’t lose!” He then winked at Kagami. “And I really want that date.”

“Hey Kise!” Kasamatsu yelled over at him. “You said you were going to ask her out after we win! Stop flirting with her and take this seriously!”

The game was about to start.

The teams got in place for the tip off. She eyed everyone around her. Although the teams were friendly towards each other, there was still tense atmosphere. Both teams wanted to get to the finals after all.

The ref blew the whistle and tossed the ball up into the air. Kiyoshi got to it first and he threw it to Kuroko. Kuroko dribbled down the court and was met by Kasamatsu. Kagami kept close to him, both for his misdirection and if he needed to pass. Although that may not be a good idea as she had Kise right behind her.

Kuroko used his vanishing drive to get past him and then stopped in front of the basket. He shot and scored the first points.

Kagami have him a fist bump and started to run back on defense. But then she saw the ball flying over head and go into the basket. She turned. Kise had used Midorima’s high arc shot to counter.

* * *

 

If any other team but Seirin were playing, Aomine wouldn’t have come to watch. He had better things to do like sleep or practice at the court. And watching others play only made him jealous that he wasn’t down there on the court… and was a harsh reminder that Touou was one of the first teams to lose in the Winter Cup.

But, and he wouldn’t say it out loud, especially to Momoi, he really wanted to watch Kagami play. And even more so that she was wearing his shoes. He liked that she had something of his down on the court.

He watched Kise score Kaijo’s first point.

 “So he’s starting off with that…”

Momoi looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“Copying all of us puts a strain on his body… his perfect copy is going to have a time limit.” Aomine explained as Kise jumped to block Hyuga’s shot, copying Murasakibara.

“But… if that’s true then why would he start off with it at the beginning?”

“He’s trying to set a lead for Kaijo. He probably won’t use up all his time right now. He’ll probably save the rest for the end of the game.” It was only a guess, but knowing Kise, that probably was his plan.

Kise looked as though he was about to shoot another three like Midroima. Kagami jumped to block, but it was a fake, and he imitated Aomine to run right by her.

Aomine groaned. It annoying to see his moves copied.

_Kagami you better not lose._

“You know…” Momoi began. “Ki-chan is going to ask Kagami out on a date if he wins this game…”

Aomine folded his arms. “If Kagami doesn’t find a way to stop him she’s going to get that date.”

He didn’t know if Kagami wanted that date. He knew that she and Kise were friends and him being a model gave an advantage over most guys…

But Aomine thought it was stupid to put up those conditions. If Kise really wanted a date he should just ask her out, not wait until he won a game against her… because he might never.

Aomine slumped over realizing that he should take his own advice. The past few weeks, he had thought about Kagami often, and remembered their game, when she went into the zone. But going up to her and confessing was a whole different story. He had no idea where to even begin with that.

Kuroko was about to shoot and Kise went to mark him. As soon as the ball left Kuroko’s hands, Kise reached and grabbed it effectively stealing it from Seirin.

Aomine blinked. Kuroko’s phantom shot was stopped… and by Kise of all people.

Then he met Kagami at half court.

Kise did a cross over copying Akashi. Kagami tried to follow him but she fell over to the ground.

Aomine stood up. “Hey he just used an ankle break on her!” He yelled louder than intended. “What the hell is wrong with him!”

“Dai-chan calm down!” Momoi grabbed his arm. “She’ll be okay… and Kagami wouldn’t want Kise to hold back.”

He sat down knowing that Momoi was right. But still, Kagami really brought that side out of him. “He didn’t have to make her fall!” Kise could have copied him to get by. He didn’t have to use Akashi.

“Maybe… but you played rough with her too… in both games.” Momoi frowned at him.

“I never knocked her to the ground!” Besides in their second game Kagami could keep up with him… he was the one that fell over.

“Dai-chan, during the inter high she had an injury and you made it worse! She couldn’t finish your game against her or play her next two!”

“Yeah but…” She got him there. And then everyone seemed to think that she, as a girl, couldn’t handle an athletic injure. Two weeks later his coach wouldn’t let him play in the inter high finals over an injury that was far less severe than hers.

“And stop being so protective over her!” Momoi continued glaring at him. “She’s trying to get respect playing in this league, and that’s not going to happen if you insist that others have to go easy on her.”

He sighed. Momoi had a point. He was about to sit back and watch, but someone behind them just had to open their mouth.

“Heh, someone had to knock that bitch down.”

Aomine jumped up again. “What did you call her!” He eyed Momoi who nodded, indicating that she had given him permission to tear into that guy.

“Calm down.” The guy said. “I just can’t stand that girl. I mean… she’s not as good as everyone thinks she is, Seirin got this far because of the phantom man and Kiyoshi.”

Aomine glared at him. He red the school name on his jacket and thought that Touou might have tripled their score earlier that year. But he barely recognized the guy talking.

“I’d like to see you play her in a one on one.”

* * *

 

Kagami breathed heavily. It was only the first quarter and sweat was already pouring down her face. Kise’s perfect copy seemed unstoppable.

Kise looked at her and grinned. “That’s enough for now.”

She looked at the clock. It had only been three minutes and she guessed that he was planning to save his perfect copy for the last two minutes of the game.  And until then… they have to use the time to catch up in points.

Kasamatsu had the ball. She ran to mark him determined not to let Kaijo score. But she ran way too hard that when she went to block his shot, she crashed into him. Kasamatsu lost balance and fell to the ground.

He looked up at her, stunned and a little ashamed at what had happened.

The ref blew the whistle and called a foul.

“Uh… sorry…” She said.

Kasamatsu stood up and wouldn’t look at her. He walked to the free throw line.

“Uh hey…”

Kuroko put his hand on her arm. “Leave him be for now… and please calm down, we’ll get them back.”

“Yeah you’re right.” She sighed knowing that it wouldn’t do Seirin any good if she fouled herself out.

Kasamatsu made both his free throws and then it was Seirin’s ball. Hyuga went to shoot, but he missed. Kiyoshi got the rebound and dunked which may have gotten them two more points, but Seirin was now a mess.

Kagami had Kise marking her and she tried to jump and shoot a three, but her accuracy was way off and the ball hit the back board. Hyuga missed another three, Izuki had the ball easily stolen from him and Kiyoshi fumbled a pass. Meanwhile Kaijo only kept scoring points.

She wanted to yell at everyone to pull it together, they all really were playing pathetically. But Hyuga did that for her.

“This is the semifinals!” He yelled. “We didn’t come all this way to lose to Kaijo!”

Riko called for a member change. Kagami looked over and saw Furihata standing on the sidelines shaking.

She had to do a double take. There was no way that Riko was sending him in at this point in the game. Furihata was a decent enough first year, but the thought of going on to the court with thousands of people watching terrified him. Koganei, Mitobe, or Tsuchida would have been a better option.

 But Furihata walked onto the court, taking Izuki’s place.

“Good luck Furihata, you’ll be marking number four.” Izuki said giving him a high five.

Furihata walked over and stood in front of Kasamatsu, still trembling and his face had gone pale. Kagami felt bad for him so she moved closer in case he’d need her help.

Hyuga threw the ball to him. Furihata caught it and ran dribbling and still shaking. So much that the ball hit his leg and it bounced away. Kagami tried to run to get it, but she was blocked by Kise. Kasamatsu picked up the ball sighing.

Furihata blinked and looked like he was about to fall to his knees as he watched Kasamatsu run down the court.

“It’s okay Furihata we’ll get it back.” Kagami said patting him on the shoulder and then running after Kasamatsu.

She didn’t even make it past the three-point line. Kuroko had the same idea. He caught up to Kasamatsu and hit the ball out of his hand and to her. Kagami caught it. Kise was right there to mark her. It didn’t matter, she could jump higher than him and score a three.

“Kagami wait! Not now!” Furihata called out to her.

“Huh?” She raised an eye brow at him not knowing what he wanted her to do. It only made sense to shoot and get more points.

“Just don’t…” His voice was shaking.

She looked at Kise, who had his hands up waiting for her to shoot. Past him Kaijo’s center was under the basket waiting for the rebound.

She sighed. Her three pointers just weren’t accurate enough.  She passed to Kuroko, who hit the ball to Kiyoshi and passed back to Hyuga who shot and scored the three.

* * *

 

Himuro sat back, focusing mostly on Kagami through the first quarter and wishing that he could yell some words of encouragement that she could hear. Kise’s perfect copy had frustrated her, so much that she knocked over a third year. Himuro did feel bad for the guy, Kagami was very strong… and often forgot just how strong she was.

But now there was another first year subbed into the game, and an interesting choice for the coach. At first Himuro wondered why the coach would sub in a terrified kid. But then he understood when Kagami didn’t go for that shot. He was changing the flow of the game back into Seirin’s favor.

Hyuga scored a three and afterwards, the first year was much less tense. His defense wasn’t even that bad however, he was marking Kasamatsu who was still a much better player.

But Kuroko double teamed with him and when Kasamatsu shot the ball, his form was off, and he missed. Kiyoshi caught the rebound.

“I think they’ll be okay.” Himuro commented. He was a little worried about them after those last few plays. Kise bring out his perfect copy at the beginning of the game really had an affect on them.

He glanced at Kise who was marking Kagami.

“Your former teammate is going to ask her out on a date if he wins.” Himuro said only to see Murasakibara’s reaction. Murasakibara had some intersting opinions on his middle school friends. At times, he seemed to look down on Kise.  

Murasakibara groaned and stuck a chip in his mouth. “Kise-chin has enough girls.”

“But maybe Kagami is the one he wants.”

“Tch.” Murasakibara scrunched up and reach into his bag for a handful of chips.

Himuro laughed. “You’re not jealous, are you?”

“No.” Murasakibara said and stuffed a handful in his mouth his face getting red.

He knew his friend had a crush on Kagami and it didn’t bother him. It was more amusing than anything because of how much Murasakibara denied it. He had asked questions about her all last week, and when Himuro finally suggested it, he stopped asking.

* * *

 

Kiyoshi got a rebound and threw the ball to Furihata. He took the ball down the court. Kasamatsu went to mark, but Kagami ran ahead and screened. Furihata ran by. He got to the free throw line and looked around to pass. But Kagami and Kiyoshi were being double teamed, Hyuga was being guarded and he couldn't find Kuroko. So he shot and scored.

“Nice going Furihata!” Kagami gave him a high five. She was very impressed with how well he played in a game and wouldn’t be surprised if Riko subbed him in more often for Izuki.

“T-thanks.” He said smiling.

First quarter ended.

She sat down and drank her water. Then she glanced over at Kise. He was a tough opponent without his perfect copy. But at least she stood a chance against him now. She still had the zone and she was going to need it when he used his perfect copy back later in the game. That is… if she could even get into it.

She stood up. It was time for second quarter.

* * *

 

Riko’s plan had worked. Seirin was playing competently once again. She smiled at Furihata, who leaned back in his chair and drank his water. He wasn’t in the game long, but he had reached his limit. But that was fine, he did his job.

She then focused back on the game. Izuki marked Kasamatsu. Kasamatsu ran by him but Izuki reached back using a technique her father had taught him at their mountain training camp. The eagle spear.

Riko cheered loudly as the ball fell out of Kasamatsu’s hands.

Kagami picked up the ball and Kise ran to mark her. Kagami maneuvered around him, but he kept up with her. She tried to shoot, but he reached and knocked the ball away.

She knew of their deal. Kise would ask her out on a date if he won the game. Because of that, Riko wasn’t sure if he was going to take the game seriously. But watching him now, it wasn’t like the practice game where he was more flirty. Right now, he did not seem at all like a guy in love. He wanted to win. Not just for a date but for his team.

Kaijo had the ball next and it was passed to Kise. He went to shoot but Kagami caught up and blocked his shot. He just couldn’t jump as high as her, especially… Riko looked at his injured leg. His numbers were low and only going lower.

* * *

 

Momoi watched the Kagami and Kise feeling a little jealous. Without using his perfect copy, they seemed to be equals out on the court.  If only she could play a one on one like that with Kagami. It looked fun. For now she’d just have to stick with doing plays with her.

“Hey Satsuki.” Aomine spoke. “Do you believe in fate?”

Momoi looked at him unsure if she had heard him right. Aomine was not someone that would talk about or even mention fate. She put her hand to his forehead.

He frowned. “Calm down, I don’t have a fever.” He looked back onto the court. “But don’t you think it’s odd that the five of us all happened to go to Teiko, we became the generation of miracles and we didn’t think anyone would ever beat us… then we all went to different schools to see who was the best… but then she came along and we’ve all… most of us lost to her.”

Momoi titled his head wondering what he was getting at.

“It’s like she as supposed to be one of us, but she was born a girl so she couldn’t. But now she’s playing against all of us and winning.”

“Dai-chan, she’s on the boys team because she didn’t know that Seirin didn’t have a girl’s basketball club. If they did, she would have joined that team and you never would have met her.”

It wouldn’t have mattered if Kagami completely dominated girl’s basketball. Aomine and the rest of the miracles likely would have never heard of her.

“So she’s only here because she didn’t bother to check before she went to that school?” Aomine scoffed. “And didn’t she get any offers from high schools to join their team?”

“Actually she did from quite a few, but she went to Seirin because they have a sister school in America and if she ever wanted to go back to California, attending Seirin would make it much easier to transfer.”

Aomine sat up. “Wait she wants to leave?”

“Not anymore I don’t think.” Momoi said quickly. “She wants to beat the generation of miracles… and she really likes her team.”

Aomine sat back in his seat.

Teiko had been all about winning no matter the cost. If Kagami had returned to Japan her first year of high school and had gone to Teiko, the school board would have taken notice of her very fast due to her height alone. Momoi wondered if, after seeing her play, they would have put her on the boys team. In her first year she may have been taller than Murasakibara.

But Kagami could have ended up like the others. Her skills would have increased as fast as theirs, and the game would have gotten boring for her. Or… maybe her skills would have been equal to Aomine and he wouldn’t have gotten that “the only one who can beat me is me” attitude. It could have gone either way.

But she did find it odd that a girl was the one to show up and knock the boys down a peg… no it was her and Kuroko. He chose her to be his light. He had to have seen something in her when they first met.

At the beginning of the school year when she and Aomine had gone to watch them play at the court and Momoi knew she was good, but back then she had never expected her to get this far.

Momoi laughed, remembering how jealous she was. She had thought that Kagami was Kuroko’s girlfriend or that at least had feelings for her. She had even wanted Aomine to meet her and fall for her, both because she thought that Kagami would be the perfect girl for him and... to make her unavailable to other boys. Now she didn’t want Kagami to be taken.

“She and Tetsu really do play well together.” Aomine said with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

Momoi eyed the two. Kuroko hit the ball to Kagami she didn’t even have to look to know that it was coming.

Aomine was right, they might have been more in synch than he and Kuroko were in middle school.

“I think it’s because people had low expectations for them.”

“Huh?” He eyed her.

“They both just had a lot to prove… Kagami because she’s a girl and Tetsu because… well he couldn’t shoot or dribble and his low presence… I mean everyone has always told you how great you are, Kagami probably got the “you’re good for a girl.” But no one would ever consider that she could play at the level of the generation of miracles… or even the uncrowded kings…” She paused. “No, actually no one thought that she could play well enough to be on the boy’s team. So I think they just understand each other.” She was about to add “better than you could” but she didn’t, not wanting to upset Aomine. “And that helps them play together.”

Now that she thought about it, when Kuroko chose her to be his light, at the time, he was probably the only person that believed in her.

And she had to admit. It was fun watching the generation of miracles lose to her and Kuroko. Maybe Aomine was on to something about fate. And it had sent a girl to crush their egos.

* * *

 

Kise chased after Kagami. It was so much fun playing against her. And with each passing minute he was wanting that date more and more. Of course, she’d be sad when she lost. But he knew ways to make her feel better.

Kagami spun way from him avoiding his steal. She jumped. Against his better judgement, he followed, but he had no hope of reaching the ball. It went into the net and she finally scored that three pointer.

He landed and laughed quietly. When he had first met her, he thought she was just some cute girl challenging him to a basket ball game. He’ll admit that it did throw him off when she didn’t start fangirling him like every other girl. But, at the same time it was kind of nice. She also shared his love for basketball which was a plus.

Only a week later he lost a practice game to her. It was embarrassing. He was one of Teiko’s miracles, he wasn’t supposed to lose to a no name school, much less one with a girl. But after that game, he started taking the game more seriously. He stayed late for practice and even took time off modeling.

He didn’t want to lose to her again. Not because she was a girl, but because she really was his rival.

Pain shot up his leg as he ran back on offense. He ignored it. Kaijo couldn’t handle Kagami without him He wanted his team to make it to the finals.

Kasamatsu passed the ball to him. He ran, much slower this time because of pain. But he pressed forward, not wanting his coach to notice.

Kagami marked him and she came at him fast. He turned away from her avoiding a steal, but he twisted on his injured leg. The pain was almost excruciating and he bit his lip to keep from crying out. Then he stumbled on his next steps and tried to hide it by shooting the ball. But he completely missed the basket.

The ref blew the whistle and called for a player substitution.

“What…” He blinked looking at his teammate who was ready to sub in. “No, it’s fine, I just slipped, I can still play.”

“Kise!” Kasamatsu marched over to him. It looked like it hurt to say what he said next. “Just get on the bench… you don’t want a permanent injury… we’ll bring you back in later.”

Kagami looked at him sympathetically.

“But…”

“Listen to your sempai! And get on the bench!” Kasamatsu yelled. “We’ll be fine!” The last part sounded very unconvincing.

Over on the sidelines, his coach was gesturing him to go sit down.

He groaned and walked off the court.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rough draft of part two is written, it just needs a rewrite. 
> 
> This was the game where Aomine starts talking about fate and how Kagami is a miracle that took a different path... well that changes a bit for fem Kagami because even if she was in Japan for all of middle school they probably would have never heard of her. So I tried to rewrite that to fit fem Kagami.
> 
> And I almost forgot about Furihata >.< He's like one of my favorite characters and I almost forgot his time to shine. Although he's much more fun in the Rakuzan game.
> 
> It's Kikaga and I'm going to write a fic set in this AU... only the twinverse but the reverse twinverse, where fem Kagami is the one that arrives her second year. (It will be canon Kagami with Kikaga) I may post it in extra stories or just make it's own thing and call it a Kagami twin AU we'll see.
> 
> But I will write a Fem!Kagami x Kise one shot for the extra stories. It may not be out till next week.


	42. Seirin vs Kaijo Rematch Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright this game is finally done! Basketball games are always hard to write but this one was by far the hardest D: But here you go.

Kagami watched Kise walk over to the bench. She felt bad that his leg was hurting him enough that he had to be subbed out. Over the past few months he had been looking forward to playing an official game against her.

But with him off the court, Seirin had a chance to catch up in points. Kaijo seemed to think the same.

When the next play started up, she was double teamed. Kagami easily got through them both and caught a pass from Izuki. She took the ball past the free throw line and was met by the center, Kobori. She jumped, and he followed, putting in everything to block her, but she jumped much higher and threw the ball into the basket.

“Wow, Kaijo might not be able to handle her without Kise.” She overheard one of the spectators.

She grinned and walked back on defense.

Kaijo could barely hold their own. Kagami marked Kasamatsu, their best player. If she could shut him down then Seirin would have no problem catching up.

Kasamatsu tried to pass but Kagami was there to guard. Then he tried to shoot, but she was right in front of him and he knew that she’d block.

Kagami could see the frustration in his eyes. Finally he faked and passed the ball to Moriyama and then glared at her. Kagami just shrugged and did her best not to smile.

A little bit later, he did manage to get the ball and score points. Kasamatsu had shot so fast that Kagami couldn’t block in time. However, Seirin had scored far more points within that time and there was now a four-point difference between the teams.

Kuroko had the ball and got ready to shoot. But Kasamatsu ran to mark him. Kagami knew that Kise had told him the trick to the phantom shot and she ran to assist.

Once the ball left Kuroko’s hands, she jumped between him and Kasamatsu, grabbed it, and passed to Hyuga who shot and scored a three.

Then she looked at Kuroko and smirked. “Don’t worry I got your back.” She said and gave him a fist bump. Kuroko returned it, but he looked a little annoyed that she had interfered with his shot.

She shrugged. “He was going to block it.” She pointed to Kasamatsu.

Kasamatsu just stood and looked as though he didn’t know what to do. At least her plan was working.

Then Seirin called for a player substitution. Kuroko was being put on the bench.

* * *

 

Alex sat back, focusing on Kagami. “She’s getting cocky now.”

Masako looked at her. “Does it matter? She is better than those boys and I think it’s really starting to affect Kaijo.”

“Yeah… I just don’t want her to get too over confident.” Alex sighed. “I mean, Kaijo is a nationally ranked team, and they can’t handle her without their ace…”

She felt bad for their captain. He was a third year and he couldn’t handle a first-year girl. That had to be demoralizing.

Masako nodded. “That’s something she should be proud of.”

“I just don’t want her to wear herself out. Their ace could come back into the game later and she could barely handle his perfect copy.”

“I see.” Masako focused on her. Kagami dunked against their Center and smirked at him. “But she seems to be having a lot of fun.”

“Yeah she always did like beating the boys.” Alex laughed. Then she eyed Kise. “You know, that one, the one from the generation of miracles…”

“Kise Ryouta.”

“Yeah him… he wants to ask Kagami out on a date if he wins.”

“Only if he wins?” Masako sighed. “Do you think she’d accept?”

“He’s a model, why wouldn’t she?” Alex only briefly met him last week after that run in with Haizaki. She thought he was a good guy, he did come to help her afterall. Kagami was lucky that a model wanted to ask her out. Although, Alex did feel a little bad that Himuro had to overhear but he took it well.

“That is…” Alex added. “If she’s not too down from the loss… but I’m sure he can find a way to cheer her up.” Alex winked.

“What!” Masako sat up straight. “She’s only sixteen! And isn’t she like a daughter to you!”

 “Yeah I don’t exactly like it… but I was her age once… I’m just being realistic. I mean she lives on her own, if I were in her shoes I’d take advantage of that.”

Masako raised her eye brow. “You were sixteen when you…”

Alex laughed. “Yeah… my boyfriend had just gotten his driver’s licenses… and that night we found an empty parking lot and got into the back seat.”

“What!” Masako’s mouth hung open.

Alex shrugged. “It’s where a lot of high schoolers in America first do it. It’s one place you can get away from your parents.”

“I see.” Masako relaxed a little. “Did you ever have any girls in your car?”

“No… I wasn’t with a girl until my freshmen year of college… it was the captain of the basketball team.”

“Really…” Masako blushed and then looked around to see if anyone was overhearing.

Alex smiled. Masako was a very tough girl and it was always cute to see her blush.

“I can tell you more about that later… but I also want to hear about you… you were in a biker gang, I’m sure you have some good stories.”

“I don’t know about that.” Masako focused back on the game.

Kagami scored another two points. Kasamatsu tried to block, but her jump rendered him completely useless. One look at Kaijo’s faces told her that they were losing their morale. This was likely exasperated by the fact that Kagami was a girl. Alex had hoped that they would be past that by now. But they were a nationally ranked team, and without Kise, Seirin was too much for them to handle.

Second quarter ended. Both teams left the court for half time.

* * *

 

Kagami sat in the locker room drinking her water. She was still pumped up from the last quarter and wanted to be back out on the court playing. It felt good to for once, not be far behind in points or to be overwhelmed by the other team.

“Kagami, you really aren’t holding back against them.” Kise sat next to her and laughed.

“I’m just trying to get as many points as I can before Kise comes back on to the court.” As much fun as she was having, Kise still had two minutes left of his perfect copy. If they didn’t pull a head far enough in points, he could easily put Kaijo back into the lead.

“You really have them frustrated.” Hyuga said.

“Good.”

Kaijo had thrown Seirin off their game earlier, so it was nice to return the favor.

She stood up and walked towards the door.

“Kagami where are you going?” Riko asked.

“To the bathroom.” She said and left the locker room.

* * *

 

Kagami splashed water on to her face and then looked into the mirror. Her ponytail was a mess. She reached up and started to take it out of its holder, but her hair got tangled up around it. Groaning she tugged on her hair hoping that it would come loose. But more she worked with it the worse it got, until she had a mess.

She did her best to flatten it and then left the bathroom. She needed Riko’s help and unfortunately she had to travel through a hall full of people.

She walked quickly and held her head down, hoping that no one would look her way. If anything, most just noticed that she was from Seirin and that she was their girl.

“Kagami…”

She froze and slowly turned, not recognizing the voice. It was someone with shoulder length hair and a Rakuzan jacket.

“Let me help you with your hair.” They grabbed her arm and pulled her over to a nearby bench. “You can’t walk through the halls like that.”

Kagami was a little embarrassed, thinking that maybe no one had had noticed, but she sat down.

“Your team is very friendly.” She said. The Rakuzan player had to put at her hair and it hurt a little, but she beared through it and soon her hair fell against her shoulders.

“You think so?” Their fingers ran through her hair smoothing out the tangles and then it was pulled back up into a ponytail.

“Yeah…” She thought back to the guy she met in Tokyo earlier, and the bigger guy who was upset that shew as the one that had to chase after the basketball. Then there was Akashi… who acted very familiar towards her, enough to use her first name.

“We’ve been following you the past few months… it’s kind of like we already know you.” Her ponytail was tightened. “I’m Mibuchi by the way.”

She had almost instinctively introduced herself but they already knew who she was. “Nice to meet you.” She said. She wondered just how closely they were following her. Had they simply just watched Seirin’s games, or did they have notebook pages of information like Momoi had.

 “Hey nee-chan, come on, we got our seat!” The Rakuzan player she met earlier ran up to them. He saw her and grinned. “Oh hi Kagami!”

“Hi…” She said. Hoping that she sounded happy enough to see him. It was totally fake but she just didn’t know the guy.

Kagami turned back to Mibuchi. “And… thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure. We can’t wait to play you tomorrow.”  

* * *

 

As third quarter started, Riko sat back and watched. Seirin was still dominating… especially Kagami. The break at half time hadn’t slowed her down.

But Kaijo was still hanging on. Kagami was always double teamed, which, it was something to see two guys guard a girl, and then to see her get through them both. And Kagami seemed to take a little too much pride in the fact that she could. Riko wouldn’t admit it, but she did too.

Riko heard some loud cheering. In the stands girls wearing blue were cheering for Kagami.

She laughed quietly, wondering how Kaijo felt about the girls cheering for the other team.

* * *

 

Kasamatsu was trying not to let the fact that they were losing get to him. He never thought that he would be this outmatched by a girl. He knew Kagami was strong and had never planned to take her lightly. But he never expected her to be that much better than him.

She had improved so much since that practice game more than anyone had predicted. And she still wasn’t playing at her strongest. If she went into the zone, without Kise, they’d be done for.

He went to mark her with Moriyama. They almost needed a third person. But that would leave two on Seirin open and Kiyoshi was another big problem. Seirin was lucky to have an uncrowned king on their team.

Despite being double teamed, Seirin still passed her the ball. She managed to maneuver away from them. He tried to follow but she faked. He reached towards her and stumbled.

It took everything not to yell something insulting to her out of frustration. He managed to keep his mouth shut and ran after Kagami.

He had enjoyed watching her play other teams, but now… she was just pissing him off. Kaijo had gotten so used to having Kise on the court carrying the team to victory. Now that he was on the bench they all really felt a key part of their team missing.

He had to pull himself together. If Kaijo was going to have any chance to win, he couldn’t let her get to him.

_Just calm down… most of the generation of miracles lost to her._

But at least they could keep up.

He eyed Kise, wanting him to come back into the game. But they had to wait till the end of fourth quarter. Kasamatsu read the scoreboard, noting the point gap. If they didn’t stop Seirin from scoring it wouldn’t matter if Kise was brought in at the end.

The ball was passed to Kasamatsu, and he looked around for Kagami. She wasn’t the one marking him, Izuki was. However, she looked like she was on her way to guard him.

He faked and ran past Seirin’s point guard. Izuki reached back and hit the ball out of his hands, the same move he had done earlier.

Kasamatsu turned. The ball was bouncing towards Mitobe. Out of desperation and not wanting to lose the ball to Seirin, he lunged forward. As soon as his hand touched the ball he redirected it towards Moriyama. And then he landed hard on the floor.

* * *

 

Mayuzumi sat at the end of the row, focusing on the game. No one would have thought that a nationally ranked team would be losing to a new school. Although, even at the beginning of the game, Akashi was sure that Seirin would win. The others thought it was wishful thinking on his part, but now, with Kise out of the game, Seirin had made their comeback.

Two from Kaijo tried to block Kagami, but she dunked right over them, as though they were amateur players.

“Well I can see why he wants her DNA.” Mibuchi said resting his chin on his hands.

Mayuzumi groaned. He had to hear that stupid talk all season. His teammates spoke of Kagami as if she were one of their friends, not some girl they had never met. And then there was Akashi.

When Mibuchi first showed him a video of Seirin’s practice game against Kaijo, he sat and watched the game over again. After his third viewing, he said that he’d marry her and then something about needing a successor. Mayuzumi suggested that he meet her first to see if he actually liked her… and he was promptly ignored. The other three would joke about it, not around Akashi, but among themselves, but eventually, right after her game with Kirisaki Daichi, the others were completely on board with it. Mayuzumi had no doubt that Mibuchi was already planning the wedding, despite Akashi saying that he wouldn’t talk to his father about marriage until after he graduated high school.

But he still thought it was stupid. He had heard talking earlier and Akashi could barely hold a conversation with her. Kagami just stood there unsure of what to say and possibly a little freaked out. Mayuzumi couldn’t imagine how she would react when Akashi explained that he wanted to marry her just to make a child that would be a basketball prodigy.

“They will make quite the kid.” Mibuchi continued.

Hayama looked over at him. “You know… really her and any of the generation of miracles would make a terrifying child.”

“But what about the phantom?” Nebuya asked. “Would their kid play like her and be able to disappear?”

Hayama gasped. “That would be really scary!”

Mayuzumi groaned and gritted his teeth. “You don’t choose to marry someone based on the child you can make together.” The whole thing sounded like a breeding program.

The other’s ignored him.

“You know…” Hayama began grinning. “She is pretty strong, when Akashi marries her, who do you think will top?”

Nebuya smirked. “All Akashi has to say is “On your knees-“”

Akashi gave them a warning look and they quieted down.

Mayuzumi was relieved. He really didn’t want to be stuck hearing that conversation. He had had enough of it all year.

* * *

 

It was the fourth quarter. Kaijo was down almost fifteen points. Kise hated to see his team struggle, especially against Seirin. They had waited months for this rematch and Kagami was completely dominating them. His team really needed him.

Kise stood up. “I’m going back in!”

His coach glared at him. “Kise there’s still four minutes left! If you use your perfect copy for more than two minutes you could permanently damage your leg!” He shook his head. “Do you really want your date that bad!”

“I’m not doing this for a date! I want our team to win!” He said. The date was a nice extra but he did  want to get his team to the Winter Cup.

Kise cringed as he watched Kiyoshi scored another two points. Seirin was now fifteen points ahead. If he didn’t go in now there was no way that they could win.

“Please sub me in! We’re going to lose if you don’t!”

His coach sighed. “Okay fine, but I think that you’re in danger of hurting your leg worse, I’m subbing you out.”

“Deal.” He said. Kise walked over to request to be subbed in. But when he arrived, Kuroko was also there.

* * *

 

Kagami watched as Kuroko and Kise walked onto the court. The look in Kise’s eyes scared her a little and she smirked in an attempt to kill the tension.

“So your finally back out-“

He ignored her and walked by.

She blinked, taken aback. She quickly thought over everything that had happened from the beginning of the game until he was subbed out. But as far as she knew, she hadn’t done that would have upset him.

She turned quickly and called out to him. “Hey! Whatever I did, just tell me! I don’t want to play this-”

She stopped when Kise didn’t turn to listen to her. He just kept walking. Kagami started to follow but Kiyoshi put his hand on her shoulder.

“Kagami, just focus on the game.” He said.

“But he-“

“Taiga…” Kuroko spoke. She hadn’t even realized that he was next to her. “It’s nothing you did…” He was completely focused on Kise. “Right now you really can’t let your guard down.”

She relaxed but she was still annoyed. Kise had always been friendly and affectionate towards her… this was just… she hated it.

Kagami looked over at him and folded her arms. He was talking to Kasamatsu.

“Just don’t try to copy Kagami, you’ll for sure hurt your leg worse.”

“Don’t worry I was never going to… I won’t need to.”

Kagami scoffed. She’d show him.

The game started back up and Kaijo had the ball. Kasamatsu passed to Kise. Kagami went to mark him.

Kise stared into her eyes as he dribbled, the warmness that they usually had for her nowhere to be seen. The coldness in his eyes was almost enough for her to break eye contact, but she held strong.

Kise then did a crossover and faked right. Against her better judgement, Kagami tried to follow which resulted in her falling. She nearly slammed her hands on the ground for falling for that ankle break again.

Kise ran. He got through the others on her team by copying Aomine and then jumped up and dunked scoring Kaijo’s first points that quarter.

It was now Seirin’s ball. Izuki passed to her once he crossed half court. She tried to jump up and dunk, but Kise copied Murasakibara and hit the ball away as though it were nothing.

Kagami stood and closed her eyes and breathed slowly to calm herself down. She was no longer dominating the court. Kise’s perfect copy was giving her trouble but it shouldn’t be unstoppable. She had already beaten Murasakibara, Aomine, and Midorima. If she could stop them, she should be able to stop a copy. The only problem was Akashi, who she hadn’t faced yet. But the other three she could beat… now she just had to figure out who he was going to use…

* * *

 

Riko put her had on her forehead not wanting to watch. But as their coach, she forced her self to look at the court.

Kise should only have two minutes left of his perfect copy. But looking at his numbers… he was likely having an adrenaline rush and would make it last until the end of the game. If Seirin didn’t find a way to stop it, Kaijo could pull ahead in points.

She eyed Kagami. Kise’s coldness was getting to her. The looks she gave him when he was subbed back in and wouldn’t speak to her told Riko all that she needed to know. And it was daunting to see him act like that, after all those months of being flirty with Kagami.

She watched as Kuroko and Kagami tried to distract Kise so Izuki could use his eagle spear to knock the ball away. But Kise noticed Izuki right before the ball could be stolen and he passed to Kasamatsu.

She sighed, wondering if she was going to have to call a time out soon.

* * *

 

Kise was standing behind the three-point line. Kagami knew he was going to copy Midorima. She jumped as his arms were going up, but he pulled them back down and ran past her.

She almost let out a yell of frustration as she landed. Kagami ran after him. He must have known that she was right behind him because he passed to Moriyama who shot and scored a three pointer.

Kaijo was now within a ten-point difference. Seirin hadn’t scored a single point since Kise came back out on to the court.

Izuki passed her the ball. Kise ran to mark her. His were intense as he watched her every move.

His leg was injured and there was only three minutes left on the clock. If she could just wear him down…. She dribbled and used a maneuver that Alex taught her. For a moment she had him, but soon he caught up to her and they were in a one on one. Now if she could just keep that going and run down the clock…

 “I know what you’re doing.” Kise said coldly and then tried to hit the ball out of her hand using Izuki’s eagle spear, but she passed it back to Kuroko who passed to Hyuga.

Hyuga tried to shoot, but Kise ran, faster than ever, and his attempt to block threw Hyuga off enough that the ball missed the net. Kobori got the rebound.

As predicted he passed to Kise. Kise ran ahead and stopped behind the three-point line. Midorima again, but it could be another fake.

Kagami ran in front of him, looking carefully this time to determine whether or not he was going to fake,  and she nearly gasped. The form he was using was Kuroko’s phantom shot. It shouldn’t work without misdirection.

Kise shot the ball similar to how Midorima would and it disappeared from her view. Kagami tried to find it, but it flew past her and Kise scored three more points.

Kagami groaned. And then she heard chanting. The crowd was cheering for Kaijo. Kagami rolled her eyes and walked back to offense.

“Come on Tetsuya.” She said passing him.

“Um…” He was staring at the stands.

“I said let’s go!”

“It’s like we’re the bad guys now…” Hyuga said slumping over.

She scoffed not caring that the crowd wanted Kaijo to win. If she had ever cared what others wanted she wouldn’t be on the boy’s team. Nor did she care if everyone saw Seirin as the villains. There were enough that already saw her as such for daring to play with the boys.

Then she heard a few girl’s voices cheering for her and she smiled.

Izuki dribbled but he was sloppy. Kasamatsu almost stole the ball from him but he passed to Hyuga. Hyuga tried to shoot a three but it bounced off the rim.

Kagami ran and grabbed the rebound before Kobori could get to it. She was about to jump up and dunk again, but forgot about Kise, who hit the ball way from her and Hayakawa got the rebound. He passed to Kise.

Kagami ran at full speed after him. Kise crossed the free throw line and was about to shoot. Kagami jumped and reached to block the ball, but she had run too hard and ran into the back of him. They both lost their balance and fell to the ground and the ball rolled out of bounds and the ref called a foul on her.

She now on top of Kise. They were both face down so there were worse ways they could have landed, but still, it was a little embarrassing. Kagami scrambled to get up but her legs were tangled with his.

“What a bitch.” Someone from the stands laughed.

“She did that on purpose. She just can’t handle the fact that she’s not as good as him.”

“Of course she wanted to climb all over that model.”

More comments followed.

Kagami stopped struggling and laughed quietly. Then she pushed herself up to her feet.

“Sorry,” She mumbled not looking at Kise.

Kagami brushed herself off forcing herself to keep a straight face and ignore the comments. Then she walked over to take her place for the free throw.

“Kagami are you okay?” Izuki asked and started to reach for her, but she walked by him.

“I’m fine.”

“But they’re-“

She turned and glared at him. “That’s nothing new for me! I’ve gotten that since I’ve joined the team!”  She yelled. “Now get it together already or we’re going to lose!” It wasn’t just verbal attacks; one team had physically harmed her during a game.

“Hey, you’re not the captain!” Hyuga scolded.

“Hyuga… let it go for now.” Kiyoshi patted him on the shoulder. “Kagami is right, if she can handle it, then so can we.”

Kise made both his free throws. And then it was Seirin’s ball. She walked, still hearing the crowd chanting for Kaijo a long with rude comments directed towards her.

_Fine, I’ll just piss all of you off even more._

That was what she would do. Give them all a metaphorical middle finger by winning the game.

And then, everything was all blocked out.

* * *

 

Mayuzumi felt bad for Kagami. Some of the comments he heard were disgusting and all because of a foul, something that nearly every player had.

 Akashi had given several people around them “the look” and they quieted down. But that didn’t stop those further away. Mayuzumi was sure that he was going to send out a warning to every school at the end of this game.

“Hey, she somehow looks even bigger now… and she’s holding her head up higher.” Mibuchi commented.

Mayuzumi had to agree. Kagami did seem stronger and now gave on an air that she was about to completely destroy Kaijo, almost like a villain from a cartoon.

She was now following Kise easily as he imitated Aomine. Earlier, that same move had defeated her.

“I don’t get it.” Hayama said resting his chin on his hands. “Why?”

Akashi grinned. “They were hoping to tear her down… but she took it all and used it to make her stronger.”

Mayuzumi looked back at the court. If that was the case, she really was a formidable opponent.

* * *

 

Kagami ran towards the basket with the ball. Kise caught up to her right in front of the three point line. Kagami jumped to shoot. To her surprised he followed, but, even though he could copy all the generation of miracles, he still couldn’t jump as high as her. Although he did jump higher than she had ever seen him but it still wasn’t enough. She threw the ball. It wasn’t even close to going in the basket but Kiyoshi got the rebound and dunked it.

Now that she was in the zone, she jumped higher than she ever had, and for a moment, she was a little nervous about hitting the ground. But she landed just fine. Kise however, stumbled.

“Kise I told you not to jump that high!” Kasamatsu scolded.

Kise ignored him and chased Kagami back to defense.

Kasamatsu passed the ball to Kise. He dribbled and passed the three-point line. Kuroko had figured out his pattern. He’d only copy Midorima when he was behind the three-point line, Akashi or Aomine when he was between the three point line and the basket, and Murasakibara when he was under the net.

He stopped between the three-point line and basket. She had to wait to see if she was playing against Akashi or Aomine. If it was Akashi, she’d get an ankle break so it would be best to let him through. Kiyoshi and Hyuga would double team him until she caught up.

Kise ran by her using Aomine. When he was met by the other two, he copied another one of Aomine’s moves, this one much more complicated. Kagami had only seen Aomine use it once or twice and she had no way to stop it and Kise scored.

She scoffed. She was in the zone, he shouldn’t be this difficult. And Kaijo only needed one more basket before they would pass Seirin in points.

There was less than thirty seconds left of the game. Seirin needed to score and then they had to prevent Kaijo from getting anymore points.

Kagami waited for the ball to be passed to her. But when Izuki went to throw it to Kuroko it was intercepted by Kise and he brought it back to Kaijo’s end of the court. Kagami ran after him, but Kise had a sudden increase in speed. He was going to go all out to get those final points.

Hyuga and Kiyoshi jumped in front of him to block. But as he got ready to shoot, he started to use Murasakibara’s Thor’s Hammer. Kagami ran, determined to block that basket at all costs, even if it literally killed her.

She jumped, ready to hit it out of his hands, but Kise noticed her and he passed back to Kasamatsu.

Kagami’s heart stopped and she felt herself coming out of the zone. She’d never make it over there in time to block.

Kasamatsu shot the ball and scored. The crowd cheered loudly. Kaijo was in the lead and there was only three seconds left on the clock. They were going to have to be quick.

Izuki threw the ball to her. She ran. Kise was close behind her. She crossed the three-point line and jumped, it was all she could do to avoid his block. But Kise also jumped, and he must have put everything into it because he was jumping as high as her and might actually stop her shot. His eyes were intense as he reached up to block the ball.

“Taiga!” Kuroko yelled from behind her.

Kagami eyed him and threw the ball over her shoulder. Kuroko caught it.

“Kurokocchi!” Kise yelled. His eyes widened.

Kuroko shot the ball and it went into the net and the buzzer went off.

Everyone was quiet. Kagami and Kise landed at about the same time. Kise stumbled and when he steadied himself, he couldn’t put any weight on his injured leg.

And then the cheering broke out. Kagami rolled her eyes. A few second ago they were all cheering for Kaijo.

Then several of her teammates threw their arms around her, cheering along with the crowd. Kuroko was getting the same, Kiyoshi practically lifted him in the air, and Koganei hugged him so tight he looked as though he had trouble breathing.

Kagami eyed Kise, was still standing nearby. she broke away from her team approached him, worried that he would take this loss hard.

But he looked at her and smiled. “I guess I’m going to have to wait until we play again to get that date… But…” He gave her a big grin. “you really are amazing Kagamicchi.”

She returned the smile, at the very least, happy that he was no longer acting cold towards her. Maybe she had just read him wrong earlier. “Thanks… and you are too, I needed the zone just to keep up with you.”

They shook hands.

Kuroko walked over.

Kise sighed. “Kurokocchi… I can’t believe you were the one that scored the winning basket…”

Kuroko smiled. “Kise-kun… you’ve really gotten strong. You were almost unstoppable.”

Kise’s eyes brightened. “So I made my mentor proud?”

Kuroko nodded, and they shook hands.

“Just so you know, I’m going to win next time.” Kise said and then looked at Kagami. “And then we’ll go on that date.” He winked.

She was about to tell him that they could still go out, but Kasamatsu walked over.

“Kagami… this loss hurts… but I’m really glad that I got to play against you…” He broke eye contact with her. “and I didn’t realize how much shit you got from others… but you still pulled through…” He reached out to her and they shook hands.  “And win the finals for us.” He finished.

She smiled and then remembered that he was a third year. “I’ll miss you next year.”

“Yeah…” He paused and then pointed at Kise. “Just continue to give that one hell, we can’t let him get soft.”

They lined up and then walked to the bench.

Kagami looked over at Kise who needed Kasamatsu’s help walking. When she saw that he was wiping his eyes, she looked away. The loss hurt way more than he had let on.

* * *

 

As they walked out of the locker rooms to the exit, Kuroko seemed to be in a daze.

“Hey Tetsuya, are you alright?” She asked.

He nodded. “It’s just… that was my first buzzer beater… I’m just really happy.”

She grinned and put her arm around him. “You should be!”

“Hey you two, don’t celebrate too early.” Hyuga scolded. “We still have a game tomorrow.” But his lips were curling up.

“Hyuga… it seems like you already are.” Kiyoshi laughed.

Kagami put her hand up by her neck. When she didn’t feel the chain that held her ring, she looked down. It was missing.

“Oh no…” she said and looked at the ground to see if she had dropped it.

“What’s wrong Kagami?” Izuki asked.

“I lost my ring!”

Riko ran over. “Where did you have it last?”

“Um…” She thought for a moment, remembering that she had tugged on it between third and fourth quarter.

“I think I might have dropped in in the gym!” She turned and ran from them.

“Hey Kagami!”

But she ignored Riko. That ring was priceless. If someone found it and threw it away…

The gym was cleared out by the time she arrived. Kagami ran to their bench right to her seat and looked on and under it. But it wasn’t there.

She felt her insides go cold. This just had to happen right when Himuro had started talking to her again. But there was still the halls and the locker room. She was about to go look but then a voice behind her spoke.

“Were you looking for this?”

Midorima was behind her, the ring resting in the palm of his hand.

Her eyes widened when she saw it, and then without thinking, she threw her arms around him. Midorima tensed up, but he didn’t push her away.

“Thank you!” She said letting him go.

Midorima adjusted his glasses in an attempt to cover his red face. “I-I saw it fall between third and fourth quarter.” He barely managed to speak. “I knew it was important to you.”

She nodded and put the ring back around her neck.

He breathed relaxing himself. “You’ll be playing Akashi tomorrow.”

“Yeah… he’s the only one of you that I haven’t played.”

Midorima nodded. “There’s something that you should know about him.”

“Huh?” She tilted her head ready to listen. Any information about the former captain of the generation of miracles would be helpful.

“There is two of him.”

“Two? You mean he’s a twin?” she asked not completely understanding.

“Um… no….” For a moment, Kagami thought he was going to face palm. “What I mean is… in middle school, he changed and a completely new personality emerged.” Midorima glanced over at the entrance of the gym. Kagami followed. Kuroko and Takao were standing, watching them.

“Kuroko should tell you more about that.”

He adjusted his glasses. “But there is something else…. He has taken an interest in you.”

“Yeah… I talked to his teammates… they said that they’ve been following me all season. But every time I’ve spoken to him… he’s been friendly…” Admittedly that was only two times.

“He would be to you.” Midorima said. “But he is different on the court. You saw him play today, expect that much from him tomorrow. The rest of his team is also strong, they have three of the five uncrowned kings.” He adjusted his glasses for a third time. “Shutoku… we couldn’t win…” He looked away.

“Come on you did fine.” Kagami was about to reach for him but then remembered that the hug was a little too much for him.

“Thanks to you.” He mumbled.

He started to walk towards the exit and Kagami followed. “But ask Kuroko about him, then maybe you’ll understand him tomorrow when you play.”

When they reached the doors, Takao looked up and grinned at him. The two started to leave.

“Hey, good luck tomorrow for third place!” She said, although she didn’t know who to cheer for and would be happy if either team won.

He nodded.

When Midorima and Takao were gone she looked at Kuroko. “There’s two Akashi’s?”

“Yes… as Midorima said, he changed in middle school.”

“Okay, so tell me about that.”

Kuroko shook his head. “Not yet, I want to tell everyone on the team. Do you think we could go to your apartment tonight?”

“Um… yeah that would be fine.”

“And um… it would probably be best if Murasakibara-kun wasn’t there.”

“Huh?” That complicated things a little. “I guess I could ask Alex to take him and Himuro out to dinner.” She said and grabbed her cell phone. She hated kicking them out for a few hours, but Seirin needed all the information that they could get for the finals. And her apartment was one of the few quiet and private places that they could use.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why was this game hard? Because it was the most emotionally taxing. When I watched the anime, I wanted Seirin to win but I didn't want Kaijo to lose. And the middle when Kise is out of the game, that part was very hard to write.  
> One thing that annoyed me about the game in the anime was that Kagami could not do anything about Kise's perfect copy. He had already beaten Midorima, Aomine, and Murasakibara, so I felt that he should have been able to stop Kise when he copied them some of the time. Also, Kagami did not go into the zone during this game, but I made Fem Kagami.
> 
> Lot's of changes. The crowd cheering for Kaijo was going to affect Fem Kagami very different because she's used to people cheering against her. Like when I eventually go to write Last Game, I was going to make it a point that team Jabberwock insulting Vorpal Swords would have no affect on fem Kagami because she's used to being torn down, were as with the GOM... they've only ever been praised so when they're insulted they're more like O.O Also why she didn't care if everyone saw Seirin as the villains because there would be a lot of people that would already wrongly view her that way?
> 
> And, I figured that when fem Kagami knocked Kise down that it would bring out the misogynists. People were already yelling that it was on purpose and those that have always disliked her took the opportunity to yell insults at no consequences. I didn't touch on misogyny too much in the fic, only because it would wear me down mentally. But yeah, it wouldn't be pretty. When I was in high school, there was a girl that played on the football team for another school, and there was a lot of horrible things said about her and she had to deal with a lot of sexism. People used any mistake she made to prove that she wasn't that good of a player, despite there being medicore male players on the team.
> 
> But I think in order for Kagami to survive on the boys team she had to take a "fuck all of you!" attitude when the naysayers come out. Or a "Fine I'll be a villain and crush all your fragile male egos."
> 
> And on a lighter note, I played a little bit with fem Kagami's reaction with Kise coming back on to the court. She took a girl approach and was like "Um... is he not speaking to me! I didn't do anything!" I figured that she'd read him much different than canon Kagami who just realized he was serious. I was originally going to have her more intrigued by him and find him a lot hotter, but it just didn't fit well.
> 
> Mayuzumi... it is so much fun to write from his POV. I needed someone reasonable on Rakuzan who just looks at the whole Akakaga and is like... Um... you don't know the girl. In fact I get Else vibes from him.
> 
> Mayuzumi: Akashi you can't marry a girl you've never met.  
> Akashi: I can! I am absolute!  
> Mayuzumi: You won't be when your married.
> 
> Anyway, I won't be writing the Teiko arc because there is nothing I can add with fem Kagami. I will have a very short chapter that takes place during it, but it will be Kagami in middle school. Also, I'm going to write a Kikaga oneshot for the extra stories and I have a Murakaga planned. (and there will finally be a fem Kagami x Murasakibara fic! lol)
> 
> Rakuzan... I have no idea how difficult that game is going to be to write.


	43. Middle School Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've had two people ask me if they can write fanfiction based on this fic. And wow I'm so flattered! But yes, it is fine if anyone wants to write fanfiction based on femKagami as I have written her or set in this AU or on any other AUs I write in extra stories, or shipping fics!. I mean, I'm already writing fanfiction of someone else's work so I'd be a hypocrite to say no. Just let me know so that I can read it! You can click the inspired by button but you don't have to.
> 
> (And honestly, for any of my fics, if anyone wants to continue a one shot, because for a lot of those I originally had a much longer story thought up but I have too many WIPs that I'll probably never get around to writing them and just decided to throw the idea out there... but yeah feel free to take the idea if you like it.) As I said there's always the inspired by button.
> 
> Anyway, here is a short chapter. Like I said previously, I'm not going to write the entire Teiko arc because femKagami doesn't really add anything and... it's just too heartbreaking. But here is a short chapter that takes place in that era. While Kuroko is telling the others Teiko's story, he is not telling them this part.

Kuroko walked home feeling numb. He had just come from basketball practice, something that he had once loved more than anything, but now it only brought pain. The team no longer needed him. Akashi still put him in games, but it wasn’t like they would have any trouble winning if he wasn’t there.

His friends… they no longer felt like friends. Kuroko and Aomine hadn’t spoken to each other in over a year and he missed those days when they would stay to practice long after everyone else had gone home. And it wasn’t just him. Akashi had become a completely different person, Murasakibara was bored and now just wanted to stand under the basket while everyone else played, and Midorima went along as he usually did, not seeming to care how the team changed as long as they won.

Kise was the only one who was still friendly towards him, but even had grown colder and was more concerned with catching up to the others in skill. It also hurt. Kuroko had been his mentor, but Kise had far surpassed him in skill. Kise still received his passes during games but even he didn’t really need him.

All Kuroko had was Momoi. She was hurting from it all too, especially with how dispassionate Aomine had become. Kuroko promised that he would find a way to help him… but he didn’t even know where to start. Aomine needed someone that was just as good or better than him at basketball. And Kuroko wasn’t sure if that person existed. On the court, Aomine’s presence was enough to make the other team give up before the game even began.

He hung his head as he walked, trying to think up something. But it just seemed hopeless.

The sound of a basketball bouncing caught his attention and he almost ignored it. Basketball just didn’t bring him any joy anymore. But he looked over at the court anyway.

He saw two girls… one was very tall, as tall as some of his friends. She dribbled, and maneuvered around the other girl, who could barely keep up. Then she jumped and dunked the ball.

Kuroko blinked and walked over to the fence. He had never seen a girl dunk and she did it so effortlessly.

The two continued to play.

“That’s the girl from America I told you about.” Kuroko overheard. Three guys around his age were standing nearby watching.

“If she were a guy she probably could have gone up against the guys from Teiko.”

“No kidding, and she’s really in junior high?”

“Yeah a third year. She transferred here in August.”

It was unusual to see a girl that tall. Kuroko would have thought she was in college, never his age. Although, most of his teammates were about her height or taller.

He continued to watch the girls play. The taller one grinned as she held the ball up high and her friend desperately tried to jump high enough to reach it. And the she dribbled, making a break towards the net while her friend ran after her.

The girl dunked the ball again and hung on to the rim. For a moment, Kuroko thought she was going to break it off. But then she let go and landed gracefully on the ground.

The way she played… it reminded him of Aomine when they first met, especially the amount of enjoyment she was taking from the game.

“Alright fine.” The other girl sighed. “But I’m going to win someday.”

“I don’t know…” The tall girl smiled at her.

“Yeah… I’ll figure you out soon, and as long as I keep playing these one on ones with you I’ll at least get better.”

The girl sat down and the taller girl followed. “So where are you going to high school?”

“Seirin.”

Kuroko wasn’t sure if he had heard her right at first. Seirin was the school he wanted to attend, all because he found that wallet.

“Seirin?” The girl tilted her head and frowned. “That new school? You can’t be serious? Didn’t you get any offers from other high schools?”

“Yeah…” She rested her chin in her hands. “A lot actually. Josei, Senshinkan, Kaijo, Rakuzan, Shuto-“

“Kagami! You got an offer from Rakuzan and you’re not going there!”

Kagami folded her arms. “No, that school is in Kyoto, I’m not moving again.”

“Okay but why not Kaijo? They’re a national ranked school and you could commute there.”

“Because Seirin has a sister school in America. It will be much easier to transfer back if I go there.”

“You’re still talking about leaving?”

“Yeah… Alex is going to be traveling the next few months, but after that, I may move back home in August.”

The other girl looked a little sad.

“Hey, if I’m going to play in the WNBA I need to get noticed by a college. That will be a lot easier in America.” She paused and eyed her friend. "I'm going to need a very good reason to stay in Japan."

“I guess… but come on, go to Touou with me. Don’t you want to win nationals if you decide to stay?”

Kagami smirked. “Which ever team I join will be the one that wins.”

Kuroko sighed. She played like Aomine and had an attitude like his. He wondered what he would think of her. She probably wasn’t as good as him yet but give her some time…

“You know, I want to say that you’re kind of arrogant but honestly… you’re probably right.” The girl laughed.

“You should go to Seirin with me.” Kagami said. “Then you’d be on the winning team.”

The girl grinned. “No, I’m still going to Touou, and we’re going to beat your team.”

Kagami laughed. “You know, I kind of hope you do. It’s a little boring when all we do is win, but… let me help you, then maybe you’ll be almost as good as me.”

They started to play again, this time Kagami giving was giving her tips. Sometimes she’s grab the ball and fix the other girl’s hand placement, other times she’d fix her stance. And then they played another one on one. The other girl still couldn’t keep up with her but she seemed to have a little more confidence.

At the end of their game, Kagami dunked the ball. It hit the ground and rolled away. Kuroko walked onto the court and picked it up.

“There’s no way I could ever do that!” her friend yelled.

“Then work on your threes and learn to shoot fast if you want to get past me.” Kagami said. She walked over and took the ball from Kuroko without ever looking at him.

“Thank you.” she said.” And walked back to her friend.

He watched them play for a little longer. Even though she was much better than the other girl, she still had fun playing the game. Although she seemed to have more fun teaching the other girl. But she was very good, maybe enough to have been on Teiko’s team if she had transferred to their school a year or two ago.

 If only she could be his light… maybe the two of them could beat Aomine… and the rest of the miracles.

But even thought they were going to the same school they wouldn’t play on the same team. Still, he hoped that he would at least see her next year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I found out that canon Kagami had transferred back to Japan during Junior High, I always wondered why he had never heard of the generation of miracles until high school. I mean, wouldn't he have played a game against them?
> 
> I still feel that femKagami also should have at least heard of them but it's more reasonable that she wouldn't. I figured that she heard of them in passing and dismissed them and moved on.
> 
> Anyway the wiki says that Kagami and Kuroko briefly met in junior high, and Kagami encouraged him to keep working at basketball?
> 
> So I wrote this for femKagami. Where Kuroko sees her playing before they meet and is at the very least intrigued. Realistically, she should also get frustrated with basketball because for the girls, she a combination of Aomine and Murasakibara. But she transferred halfway through the year and I headcanon that fem Kagami likes to teach people. (So I can set her up for a future of being a coach) She's a hell a of a lot more patient and nurturing than canon Kagami. Also why she likes playing with Momoi. She can teach her how to play and feel some pride as she improves. I mean to write a chapter where she stays after and helps the Seirin first years, but I completely forgot.
> 
> Next chapter we'll see more of Yosen, because Seirin had some bonding with the other GOMs schools but not Yosen. It doesn't help that they live in another city... but yeah, Seirin is going to hang out with Yosen next chapter. Then we'll do Rakuzan... which I'm still trying to figure out how to write.
> 
> I'm now thinking up AUs if Kagami did go to one of the GOM's school... maybe for the extra stories.
> 
> My job is also picking up, it's seasonal and with schools letting out for the summer, well I'm getting more hours, so updates may come slower.


	44. Movie Night

All eyes were on him as Kuroko finished telling them about his past with Teiko. Even though many parts were painful to recall, it felt as though a weight had be lifted off his chest. At the very least, Seirin could understand that while the generation of miracles had been praised and feared through junior high, going to Teiko had brought nothing but pain.

“Wow… I wish I could have played those guys in junior high.” Kagami folded her arms. “Really? Trying to get all the number to match up?”

“Kagami… did you really think you could have beaten all five of them by yourself.” Riko rolled her eyes. “You have enough trouble with one.”

“Yeah but…” She stopped and looked down at the ground.

Kuroko had no doubt that she may have been equal to them her first and possibly second year of junior high and may have able to win a one on one. But not her third year. She didn’t have a school board pressuring her to be the best, uncaring how it affected her.

He didn’t intend for anyone to become angry with the generation of miracles, but he figured that the story would upset Kagami. She was very overprotective after all. And she didn’t need to beat them in junior high. Riko was right, there was no way that she could take on all five of them. Losing in high school when they were all on separate teams was enough.

Although… he had never expected them to fall in love with her. At the very least, not Midorima or Murasakibara. He knew that Kise would be flirty with her, and Aomine would be intrigued. Still, he wasn’t sure about Akashi. He acted very different with her than most people and gave her a look when they first met. But Akashi was far harder to read than his other friends and he just wasn’t sure.

Kagami took a deep breath and closed her eyes, calming herself down. The she eyed him.

“Okay but Akashi… do you really think that Rakuzan losing tomorrow will help him?”

Kuroko nodded. His other friends had changed for the better after they lost.  They were less arrogant and had found their love of basketball again. Kise and Midorima had also become team players.

 He could only hope the same would be true for Akashi, who out of all of them, needed to lose the most.

“But… what if it completely breaks him?” Kagami continued. “I mean whatever happened in junior high sounds pretty serious.”

Kuroko sighed. “I’m worried about that too…. Akashi has never lost at anything in his life.” He wanted Akashi to go back to as he was before that one on one with Murasakibara. Not to be left a complete mess. Akashi was the one who discovered Kuroko’s potential and the whole reason he got to play with the first string in junior high.

“He will tomorrow.” Kagami said. “I still don’t plan to lose.”

“You sound a little too sure of yourself.” Hyuga side eyed her. “Not only does Rakuzan have the captain of the generation of miracles, but they have three uncrowned kings.”

 “I know.” Kagami looked down and for a moment seemed a little doubtful. “But every one of our opponents in the Winter Cup has been tough and we’ve won. I mean… no one thought we would beat Touou. Besides, you have to go into this with a positive attitude, if you only think that you might win, or you just think about how strong the other team is, you’re going to lose.”

“Is that how you’ve approached every game?” Izuki’s eyes widened.

Kuroko smiled. Others may have seen her over confidence as a flaw, but it always made him believe that they could win. And just like the other miracles, no matter how strong Akashi was, they’d find a way to get past him, as well as the other three uncrowned kings.

Hyuga sighed and looked at Kiyoshi. “Yes… we’re going to win… we absolutely can’t lose.” He squeezed his pant legs.

The rest of Seirin nodded, including third string.

Riko turned to him. “Is there anything else you need to tell us?”

Kuroko shook his head. “No. That’s everything.” He had wondered if had revealed a few things that were too personal, like Aomine’s breakdown that day under the bridge. That was by far the hardest part of the story to tell.

Akashi’s breakdown felt a bit too personal, even though it was essential to understanding him for the finals.

Kagami pulled out her phone. “I should let Himuro and Murasakibara know that it is okay to come back here.”

Hyuga scoffed. “I can’t believe you let those two guys stay here this weekend.”

“Hey, Tatsuya is my childhood friend.” She said as she started to text.

“Fine…” Hyuga folded his arms. “but you don’t even know Murasakibara!”

“I’ve gotten to know him a lot better this weekend.” Kagami responded and sent her text. “And don’t worry, they’re good house guests. As long as Murasakibara has snacks I barely notice that he’s here.”

Kuroko agreed. Himuro was polite and Murasakibara really did keep to himself. It was also nice to spend some time with his former teammate, especially now that he lived in a different city.

Kagami’s cell phone vibrated and she read the reply.

“Um… Alex is coming over too, she wants to watch a movie with us… and she and Masako took all of Yosen’s regulars out for dinner… and they also want to know if they can come over and watch.” She eyed everyone in the room. “I’m going to say yes, is that okay Tetsuya?”

He nodded unsure of why she was asking for his permission. It was her apartment after all.

“Wait, Yosen is coming here tonight!” Hyuga yelled.

“Only the regulars.” Kagami said.

Hyuga groaned.

“You guys can stay too… I just need to relax before tomorrows game.”

The rest of Seirin looked at Riko as if asking for permission.

 “Come on Hyuga, it will be fun.” Izuki said.

“Yeah, it will take our minds off the game for a little bit.” Kiyoshi agreed then smiled. “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”

Mitobe raised his hand up and nodded.

“Mitobe says that watching a movie would be a great bonding experience for the team.” Koganei said.

Hyuga sighed. “Fine.”

“But only one.” Riko added. “Everyone needs to rest up for the game tomorrow. I don’t want anyone up all night watching TV.” She eyed him and Kagami. “And that includes you two.”

* * *

 

It wasn’t long before Yosen, Alex and Masako arrived. Kagami had a feeling that they were nearby when she had sent her first text just waiting for her to tell them that it was okay to come back to her apartment.

Himuro walked right to her.

“Thanks for letting us all come over.” He said. “The other guys really wanted to see where Atsushi and I were staying.”

“No it’s fine.” She replied. Yosen was… an interesting team, and from what little she had seen of them, they seemed pretty laid back.  

Okamura looked around her apartment. “Kagami really has a nice place.”

“You’re so lucky Murasakibara.” Fukui winked at him.

“Shut up.” Murasakibara shot him a look. He walked in past his teammates, deeper into her apartment and locked eyes with Kiyoshi.

“Hi Murasakibara.” Kiyoshi waved and smiled from where he sat on the couch wrapping his knee.

Murasakibara scoffed and went into the kitchen and grabbed some snacks from the pantry.

“Um… Murasakibara-“ Fukui began.

“It’s okay , I bought those for him.” Kagami said.

Fukui winked again at Murasakibara. Then he and Liu Wei went over and pet Nigou, who Kuroko was holding.

Alex made her way over to her.

“That was a great game tonight.” Alex said putting her arm around her and then gave her a kiss on the forehead.

“Yeah but… we almost lost…” If Kuroko hadn’t been there at the end for her pass, they would have lost to Kaijo and would be playing Shutoku tomorrow for third place.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t matter, you still pulled through at the end.” Alex hugged her again. “Now what should we watch tonight?”

“Something with a happy ending.” Kagami didn’t want any nightmares that night, or to be put into a bad mood. Especially after that story that Kuroko had told. Teiko really wasn’t the great team most thought it was. And now… she understood the generation of miracles a little better… especially Aomine.

That didn’t mean she wasn’t still pissed off for what they did to Kuroko and later his friend. But if Kuroko was past it, she wouldn’t make a big deal of it to them.

She scanned the crowd that was in her apartment. “We have a lot of guys here, so probably not a chick flick.” Kagami added. Although they had another problem. Alex’s movies were in English. While everyone took English in school they had all varying degrees of understanding the language. And that was only proper English.

Alex went to their room and returned with a DVD. “I think this one will work.”

Kagami nodded. It was a sports movie that she liked. The story was pretty standard and would be easy to follow.

Furihata stood among the Yosen players and then whispered to Kuroko, "I feel so small!" 

Okamura turned and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry, we're not that scary." He laughed. "Not even Murasakibara."

Okamura then sat down next to Riko and smiled at her. Riko forced herself to return it and then scooted closer to Hyuga. Fukui, Liu Wei, and Murasakibara stifled laughter as they watched.

Kagami sat between Himuro and Kuroko on the floor. As they watched the movie, there were times that she or Himuro would have to explain what was going on when some of the more outdated slang was used. But for the most part, everyone knew what was going on.

 “I really like that girl.” Okamura said referring to the main character’s love interest. “I wish I could meet her.”

“Why? She’s old now.” Murasakibara said and then stuffed chips into his mouth.

“She is not Atsushi!” Masako insisted and for a moment, looked as though she was going to slap him across the back of the head.

“Aw you’re so cute.” Alex laughed. “But actually, she still looks good.”

Kagami glanced behind her. Alex had wrapped her arm around Masako. Masako looked a little uncomfortable at first, but then snuggled into Alex. Then Alex took up her phone and they both looked at it. Kagami could only assume that she was looking up a present-day picture of the actress because Masako nodded as she looked at her phone.

 “But I do wonder if she would go out with me.” Okamura continued.

“No… not even today.” Murasakibara said dryly.

Fukui and Liu Wei laughed.

“What! Murasakibara that’s mean!”

“Don’t any of you respect your senpai?” Hyuga grumbled.

“No… he has a weird face.” Murasakibara said with little emotion in his voice.

Fukui and Liu Wei couldn’t contain their laughter and Okamura pouted. Some from Seirin were even laughing.

“Murasakibara!” Hyuga scolded.

“Atsushi!” Masako hissed at him.

“I think she’s pretty.” Furihata said looking at the screen.

“Come on, she’s way out of your league.” Kawahara patted him on the back.

“She’s old enough to be your mom.” Koganei grinned at him.

Masako glared at him, but Koganei didn’t see her.

There was a slower but essential part in the middle, which wouldn’t have been a problem if most of the people in the room couldn’t understand the dialogue. Alex paused and Himuro explained what had happened. And then they continued the movie.

“Hey Murasakibara, give me some of those chips.” Fukui started to reach for them.

“No.” He pulled the bag closer to them.

“Oh come on,” He said reaching again. “You’ve been giving so many to that dog.”

“That’s because I like Nigou.” He said and tossed another chip to the dog.

“There’s more on the top shelf if you want them.” Kagami said.

“Um are you sure?” Fukui asked.

“Yeah I bought them for everyone.” She shrugged. Maybe she should have brought the snacks out earlier.

Himuro got up and brought the last three bags of chips over to everyone. Both Seirin and Yosen pounced on them. Murasakibara looked a little annoyed, knowing that the bag he was holding would be his last for that weekend.

The final match of the movie still got her pumped up. But that night, it just reminded her of how her life was currently going…

_Great my life is a sports movie._

Just without the whole going from total rookie to the best in only the span of a few months.

When the movie ended, Masako made her team get up.

“They have a game tomorrow. We’re not staying late.” She said.

“Yes, we know.” Okamura stood up. The funny thing was, Yosen was not here with their school, everyone had made their own travel arrangement, so Masako really had no say in whether or not they stayed. But they all listened to her anyway.

Okamura reached down and shook Hyuga’s hand. “Seirin, we’ll be cheering for you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, please win.” Fukui said. “We’ll feel better about our loss if you do.”

“We don’t plan to lose.” Hyuga said eying Kiyoshi.

 “You two are going to play in college right?” Kiyoshi asked.

Fukui nodded. “I plan to. A school has already recruited me.”

“Me too.” Okamura said. “I’m not giving up basketball, it’s got to get me a girl someday.”

Everyone from Seirin looked at each other uncomfortably while Yosen suppressed laughter.

“Then maybe we’ll play each other again someday.” Kiyoshi reached out to shake his hand.

Hyuga and Izuki side eyed him. Tomorrow was to be Kiyoshi’s last time playing in high school.

“I hope so.” Fukui said eying his knee.

Kagami looked down. She had planned to attend a university in America and would likely never play the third years again.

Okamura turned to her.

“Kagami, thank you for letting the team come over to your apartment.”

“It was fun.” She said. Yosen was… an interesting team. She would miss all the jabs everyone made at their captain, even they were kind of mean.

“And Murasakibara.” Okamura put his arm around his shoulder. Murasakibara glared at him. “You’re very lucky that you get to spend the night at a girl’s place… just behave yourself.” He finished laughing.

Murasakibara’s face got red. “And what’s that supposed to mean!”

Okamura, Fukui and Liu Wei walked out the door still laughin and Masako groaned as she followed. But she stopped just as she stepped out and turned to Seirin.

“Rakuzan has won the Winter Cup the last six years. They will be a tough team… but please win.”

Alex followed her but before leaving turned to her and Himuro. “I’m just going to say goodbye. I’ll be back.”

Then just Seirin was left… and Himuro and Murasakibara. Murasakibara picked up one of the bags and reached in, hoping for some left over chips, but it was empty.

“Atsushi throw the bag away.” Himuro said.

Murasakibara frowned at him and the picked up the bag and carried it over to the garbage.

“Alright everyone.” Riko addressed the team. “We need to leave too, everyone needs to rest for the game tomorrow.”

Everyone from Seirin said their goodbyes. Hyuga gave Murasakibara and Himuro one last look, as if warning them to behave. And then the team left.

Alex arrived back soon after.

“You’re not staying the night with her again?” Kagami raised her eye brow.

Alex shook her head. “No, you have a big game tomorrow, so I’m staying here.” Alex sighed. “I did ask her if she wanted to stay over… but she didn’t think that would be appropriate with two from her team here…” Then she grinned. “but I am visiting Akita next week, and Masako is going to let me stay at her place… I wonder what her room looks like, and her bed probably smells like her…” Alex giggled. She looked like a school girl.

Kagami checked the time. It was almost ten. But she wasn’t the least bit tired. Her mind was on the finals and she didn’t feel as confident as what she led her team to believe. What Kuroko had said about Akashi had made her nervous as did the fact that Rakuzan had three uncrowned kings on their team.

She eyed Kuroko. He was petting Nigou and seemed calm. But Kuroko was always hard to read.

“Hey…” She got his attention. “You ready for tomorrow?”

He nodded. “I know we’ll win.”

She smiled. At least one of them had some confidence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you go, Seirin go to spend some time with Yosen's team. They couldn't do too much because of the game the next day. But Yosen was such an underused team so they were going to do something with Seirin.
> 
>  
> 
> The next chapter will probably be another pre game mini chapter. 
> 
>  
> 
> So for more shipping headcanons... time for family headcanons.
> 
>  
> 
> Kagakuro: They have three children all girls. The GOM are all very overprotective because they are all very pretty and Kuroko is Kuroko and Kagami doesn't see a need to be. Any boy they bring home learns very fast to be respectful.
> 
> Kikaga: Three very beautiful kids, two boys and a girl. All could be models and they all got their father's copy cat ability so they're all also good an nearly everything they try. And their daughter has their mother's attitude. Ends up beign one of the hottest basketball players in high school.
> 
> Midokaga: Two kids, and Kagami and Midorima are the perfect balance as far as parents go. Kagami is the fun outgoing parents, Midorima is the strict one and makes sure the kids do well in school. But Kagami can put her foot down if needed and Midorima will take the kids out to play basketball (and loves doing it)
> 
> Aokaga: Four kids, the youngest two are twins and oh boy, it takes a village to raise them. Midorima and Akashi will make sure those kids do not fail all their classes. All kids play basketball and they have both Aomine and Kagami's talent and pretty much unstoppable. As much as Aomine likes to have fun with his kids, he is a good dad and will put his foot down if they are misbehaving.
> 
> Murakaga: Six very tall kids. Kagami is the shortest in that family. Most of their budget goes to feeding everyone. Again, Midroima and Akashi are there to make sure that the kids don't fail all their classes. Kise and Aomine show up to take the kids out when Kagami is too exhausted. Himuro is their unofficial uncle. And Kuroko... all the kids like Kuroko. Momoi is usually with Kagami, taking her out to a spa or shopping just so she can relax.
> 
> Akakaga: Two kids, twins. Well these two both lost their mothers and they both had awful fathers... so their a bit at a loss at first. Akashi is worried about beign too overbearing, and Kagami is afraid of not doing enough. Eventually they figure it out, with the help of Alex and the other GOM, and are able to raise two stable kids. Akashi gets two awesome basketball players, and he's at every game starting from elementary school. 
> 
> Himukaga: Four kids and all very well behaved. Himuro doesn't push basketball on them but they all play anyway thanks to Kagami. Alex was thrilled when they were having their first baby and helped them raise all their kids.


	45. The Day of the Finals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter before the game.

_Beginning of the School Year_

 

Practice was supposed to start ten minutes ago for Rakuzan. But two of the regulars were not present nor had they notified Akashi that they wouldn’t be attending that day.

 Mayuzumi glanced over at his captain, who was pacing back and forth and then at Mibuchi, who was sitting on the bleachers frantically texting them.

At the other end of the court, the second and third string were running drills. They could have joined them, but Akashi had wanted to run some plays with the first string.

Mayuzumi was new to first string that year. At first he didn’t understand why Akashi wanted him with the regulars. He really wasn’t that good at basketball and was content to ride the bench his third year. Most didn’t even know he was a part of the team. He was someone that others could walk by and never even notice. But Akashi had told him that was his strength and his low presence would give Rakuzan an advantage during the games. How? He still wasn’t sure.

It was still strange to him that a first year was their captain. He was supposed to be Akashi’s senpai, yet Akashi was the one giving him orders as well as other upper classmen orders. And no one complained or thought anything of it. It must be nice being from a rich family.

Mibuchi received a text.

“Sei-chan, they’ll be here soon. And they said that they have something that you’ll find very intersting.”

Akashi eyed him seeming doubtful. Mayuzumi had to agree with him. Whatever it was likely could wait until after practice and was no excuse for them to be late.

Five minutes later, Hayama and Nebuya burst into the gym, both had huge smiles on their face.

“Akashi!” Hayama yelled picking up speed. He held up a DVD case. “You need to see this! It’s Kaijo and Seirin’s practice game! And wait till you see Seirin’s team!”

Akashi tilted his head, his expression barely changed, but one could tell that he was no longer upset that they were late.

Hayama stopped in front of him and presented Akashi the case. Akashi took it.

“I am curious to see why Ryouta lost.” He said looking at his reflection on the disk. “Tetsuya’s strength is supporting a much stronger player, he must have found someone.”

“Or that Kise guy isn’t really that good.” Nebuya laughed. “Just wait till you see your old teammates new partner.”

“No Ryouta is very strong.” Akashi said and then led the four out of the gym.

Soon, they were all in the AV room watching the game. It started right at the tip off. Right away, Mayuzumi noticed a very interesting player…

“They have a girl?” Mibuchi blinked.

“Yeah and watch how she plays!” Nebuya pointed at the screen.

Akashi leaned in closer.

“So, Tetsuya has chosen her as his new light…”

“She is very lovely.” Mibuchi commented. “And it’s nice to have someone else that isn’t a boy in the league.”

“Keep watching!” Nebuya grinned.

She received a pass from Kuroko and then she jumped up and dunked it.

Nebuya practically jumped up out of his seat. “Did you see that! I’ve never seen a girl dunk!”

Akashi nodded. His lips curled up a little and only Mayuzumi noticed.

“Her name is Kagami Taiga.” Hayama said. “She lived in America until her last year of junior high. Then she moved back to Japan. She went to some no name junior high, but her school won nationals last year thanks to her.”

“Are you stalking her?” Mayuzumi eyed him. But Hayama didn’t hear him.

“She’s like us… over shadowed by the generation of miracles… only she’d be an uncrowned queen.” Mibuchi noted.

“Hey you’re also an uncrowned queen nee-chan.” Hayama smiled.

The game continued. Kagami really was good and she probably could have held her own against Mibuchi, Nebuya, and Hayama. Mayuzumi did his best to follow Kuroko, but he kept disappearing, giving him an idea of what Akashi wanted from him.

The DVD ended with Kagami smiling and giving Kuroko a fist bump. The camera had panned up close on them before shutting off. She really was cute.

“Well it’s understandable why Ryouta lost that game.” Akashi picked up the remote and restarted the game.

“Um Akashi?” Nebuya eyed him.

“I’m going to watch it again.”

The game played for a second time. Akashi was completely quiet as he stared at the screen. And when it ended, he wanted to watch it a third time.

“Are you concerned about Seirin?” Mibuchi asked. “They’re a new school. Kagami and Kiyoshi are their only strong players, and Kiyoshi is still recovering from his injury. I don’t think they’ll make it very far in the inter high or the winter cup.”

“Don’t underestimate Tetsuya.” Akashi said never once taking his eyes off the screen.

When the game ended for the third time, Akashi turned off the TV.

“She’ll do.” He said.

Nebuya tilted his head. “Huh? Akashi what do you mean by that?”

Mayuzumi was also curious. That was an odd thing for him to say.

“I can’t play basketball forever, I’ll need a successor.”

“But Kagami is your age-“ Hayama stopped and his mouth hung open for a moment. “Oh wait… you want to have a baby with her?”

Akashi nodded. “With regards to basketball, she is far better than any other girl.” He paused. “I’ll have my father talk to hers after we graduate.”  

Mibuchi grinned. “How cute our captain is in love.”

Hayama giggled. “No wonder he wanted to watch that game three times.”

“You know… I was thinking that Kagami was the only girl that I wouldn’t crush… but I guess I’ll step aside for our captain.” Nebuya sighed.

“Um, that’s not why you marry someone…” Mayuzumi groaned. “and don’t you think you should meet her first? You know very little about her.”

But he was ignored.

 “Just imagine the kid they will make!” Hayama said.

“It will be a beautiful child.” Mibuchi said. “I mean, if we fix Kagami up a little, she’d be a very beautiful girl.”

“And it will be so strong! Just look at the mother!” Nebuya flexed his muscles.

“But how do you know she’ll want to marry him!” Mayuzumi tried to get another word in, but was once again ignored.

“Akashi, she’s so much taller than you.” Hayama laughed. “You’ll be the shortest in your family.”

“I hope we will play against Seirin this year.” Akashi said. “The further they get, the stronger she is.”

“But do you think we will? It’s like Mibuchi said, Seirin is a new school. They only have two strong players.” Nebuya said.

“I told you not to underestimate Tetsuya.” Akashi said. “Seirin can go far with him… and Kagami will only improve… Ryouta has already lost to her.” He sighed. “But it is a shame that she’s not on a better team, I’m not sure that Seirin can pull out her full potential.”

“Would you let her play on our team Sei-chan? Even though we have a girls’ team?”

Akashi nodded. “I will always assemble the strongest team. And she’s too good for the girl’s.”

Then he glared at them. “When we do meet her, you will be polite.”

The three uncrowned kings cowered and nodded.

“Can I at least play a one on one with her?”  Nebuya asked.

Akashi nodded. “As long as you don’t go easy on her. You don’t want to insult her.”

* * *

 

_Day of the finals_

Kagami had managed to get some sleep the previous night. She drank some tea and then laid in bed and eventually drifted off. But she slept longer than she intended. Everyone else was already awake when she got up.

That afternoon, Alex made lunch for everyone.  For once, despite being hungry, Kagami could barely eat. She picked at her food and took small bites.

She eyed Kuroko. He seemed so calm, as if they didn’t have a big game later that day. But it wasn’t like Kuroko was one to wear his emotions on his sleeve.

Next to her was Murasakibara, eating popsicles. Four sticks lay in front of him on the table. He had barely spoken to anyone that morning, not even Himuro.

“Taiga don’t be so nervous.” Himuro interrupted her thoughts.

“I’m not.” She glared at him. He was trying to help but that only annoyed her. And now the others were made aware of how she was feeling, if they weren’t already. Kuroko likely already knew.

She stuffed a spoonful of food in her mouth. It was one of her favorite meals, but she could barely taste it.

“You know, even if you don’t win today, second place is still good.” Himuro noted.

“We’re going to win.” She said. Her team was counting on her. And several girl’s teams from other schools wanted to see her lead Seirin to victory. She had one more miracle to beat for Kuroko and this would be Kiyoshi’s last game. They had to win and it had to be this year.

“Taiga you don’ have to put so much pressure on yourself.” Kuroko said.

She almost dropped her spoon. There was no way that Kuroko knew what she was thinking.

“I’m not…” She insisted and stuffed more food into her mouth.

“Kuro-chin you’re not afraid to play Akashi?” Murasakibara finally spoke.

“No… I’m very nervous and I feel a little sick.” He said.

“Then act like you are.” Kagami groaned.

“And um…” Kuroko continued. “Akashi-kun won’t be easy… but I think we can win.”

“I don’t think so.” Murasakibara responded and opened another popsicle.

“Have a little faith in them Atsushi.” Himuro said.

“You’ve never faced Aka-chin.”

Kagami thought back to Kuroko’s story. It was unbelievable that Akashi, for a short as he was, beat Murasakibara in a one on one. Anyone would think that Murasakibara would crush him… and he almost had. And that had also been the catalyst that caused his break down.

There was a small part of her that was concerned about winning. She understood why Kuroko thought it would be best for Akashi if he lost. But she still worried that the guy would go off the deep end. Not that she wouldn’t try her hardest to win… but maybe it would be best to have a group over on the sidelines on standby in case Akashi tried anything rash. He had already said that he’d gauge out his eyes if Rakuzan lost their game against Shutoku.

Alex walked into the apartment with Nigou. She wore a lot cut top displaying tons of cleavage and Kagami wondered if she had gotten any attention while outside.

When they finished, it was time to leave and meet up with Seirin.

As they were getting their shoes, Murasakibara walked up to them. He put another protein bar in Kagami’s hand and then gave another to Kuroko.

“Kuro-chin…” Murasakibara looked at the ground frowning. He stood their quiet.

“Um Murasakibara-kun?”

Murasakibara breathed and looked Kuroko in the eye. “I don’t think you can, but win today.” He mumbled.

Kuroko smiled. “We will.”

Himuro and Alex then joined them.

“Good luck today Taiga.” Himuro gave her a hug. “You too Kuroko.”

Then Alex threw her arms around her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Go out there and win!” She squeezed her tighter.

Then she hugged Kuroko and gave him a kiss on the forehead. “Good Luck! You’ll do great out there!” Kuroko’s eyes widened, having not expected it and then his face got red.

“I’ll bring Nigou to the game with me.” She said once she let him go.

And then they left. Kagami held her bag close to her, tempting to check it one more time to make sure that she had everything. But she had already done that three times that morning.

They walked, not speaking to each other until they got to the bus stop.

“So… it’s the finals.” Kagami said speaking the obvious.

Kuroko nodded. “We’re going to win.”

Kagami grinned. She was rubbing off on him.

After that short walk, she really did feel better. “And then we’ll have beaten all the miracles!” She pumped her fist up in the air getting the attention of others walking by. “And… afterwards, we’ll celebrate… maybe Alex will get the team some beer.”

“Um Taiga… I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Huh? Why not? That’s how all the teams in America celebrate.” She remembered the stories her older friend would tell, about getting drunk after the games, the wild things they did, and passing out, and their hang overs…

“But aren’t they too young? What if they get caught?” Kuroko always had to think of the consequences instead of just living in the moment.

“Well… that doesn’t really ever happen, but they would get in trouble… and probably banned from the sport…” He had her there.

“Isn’t there another way we could celebrate?”

She sighed. “I guess… but you have to have a little fun sometimes.” Kagami found herself wondering what Kuroko would be like drunk. She thought it could be very funny.

The bus pulled up and they boarded. One step closer to the final game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in the anime, we got to see Seirin spending time with their families before the Rakuzan game... except for Kuroko and Kagmami. I fixed that here. Also, I wanted to show some of Murasakibara's growth since we really didn't get to see that in the show. I probably didn't do the best job because Mura is hard to write but its something? But he is acknowledging that hard work can pay off by telling Kuroko to win, and he ultimately wants Kuroko to show him by going against his expectations and beating Akashi.
> 
> Oh and Akashi. He really does have feelings for Kagami. She's a girl that loves basketball. However, the Bokushi likely thinks that falling in love is a weakness and rationalizes it by wanting to make an awesome basketball playing child with her, putting his feelings to practical use. But, Akashi, Oreshi, knows that he's likely going to be put into an arranged marriage. And if that has to happen, he wants it to at least be with someone who shares his interests. He doesn't want anything loveless. And well... the Kagami's are wealthy. So their fathers would likely be okay with the match.
> 
> At that point, Rakuzan was in their teasing stage with Mayuzumi thinking that they are all being stupid. And... Nebuya had a bit of a crush on her. 
> 
> If Kagami had gone to Rakuzan, Akashi would have put her on the men's team. And he really could have pulled out her full potential early. But then he'd never lose, which he really needed. So it's a good thing Kuroko is the one that got her.
> 
> Trying to keep writing Mibuchi gender neutral so that it can go with anyone's gender headcanons for him, trans, nonbinary, gay man. Although the one line puts Mibuchi more at nonbinary or trans in this fic. One thing that I like about the trans and nonbinary headcanons, is that I could see Mibuchi being uncomfortable about having to join the boys team but Kagami presence is... comforting? Especially for a trans headcanon because it's like "well I'm not the only girl here now." But yeah I understand that headcanons for that character are very important to many people.
> 
> But next chapter starts the Rakuzan game. That will probably be the hardest to write and the chapters may be slow to come out.


	46. Seirin vs Rakuzan, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm probably going to divide the four quarters of this game into different chapters. Just so I don't get overwhelmed with writing it. First quarter is about 5,000 words... There is a lot that happens during this game and since we don't get much Akashi I'll spread out his game.

Aomine walked with his team to the entrance of the stadium. He still couldn’t believe that it was Kuroko  that was playing in the finals and not him.

Momoi was next to him, holding her notebook. She wouldn’t stop talking about how excited she was to watch Kagami and Kuroko.  And if he were being honest, he was too.

He recalled that game they played in middle school, when he wouldn’t return Kuroko’s fist bump and then later in high school, when he told him he was worse than the average player.

Aomine cringed. Those were the absolute last two moments of his life that he wanted to remember. Even though things were now better between them, he’d often think about those days, and how things could have been different if he had just not let his talent go to his head and worked more with his friend.

But there was absolutely nothing he could do about it now except cheer for Seirin.

“Hey it’s Yosen!” Imayoshi interrupted his thoughts.

Yosen’s entire team was practically right next to them. Aomine was surprised they had all traveled that far to watch the finals.

His coach wandered over to Yosen’s coach.

“Masako? It’s been so long since I’ve seen you.”

“Um… yeah…” Masako stammered and looked away from him.

“And who’s this?” Harasawa motioned towards the blond woman next to her.

Aomine’s eyes widened. That woman was very beautiful, the kind of girl he would have said was his type.

“Alexandra Garcia.” Masako replied.

“Oh… nice to meet you.” He said as if she were some ordinary person.

“She played for the WNBA!” Masako informed offended that Harasawa didn’t recognize her.

“The WNBA…” He smiled and moved closer to her, but Masako put her arm around Alex and gave him a look that seemed to say “mine.” Harasawa sighed getting the hint.

Aomine searched for Murasakibara and found him towards the back, eating a type of candy he didn’t recognize. He slowed and waited for him.

“Hey Murasakibara.”

They had seen each other a few weeks ago at the opening ceremony, yet it felt like months.

“Mine-chin?” Murasakibara looked down him. Aomine swore he had gotten a little taller.

“I can’t believe you came to watch.” Aomine said.

Murasakibara had always said that he hated basketball and Aomine thought the he would quit after middle school. But then he went and joined one of the best high school teams in the country.

“Muro-chin wanted to come.” Murasakibara nodded towards his friend, the shooting guard for Yosen. “And Kaga-chin let us stay at her apartment, so it’s not like I had to pay any money.”

Aomine glared at him. “You get to stay at her place?” He knew Himuro was her childhood friend, but it still didn’t seem fair that Murasakibara of all people got to stay with her.

He nodded. “It’s not so bad. She had lost of snacks.”

He groaned and imagined Murasakibara eating her cooking, sleeping in the same apartment, and… being there when she showered. He clenched his fists and wondered if he’d ever have an excuse to stay at her place. Maybe they could play a one on one, and stay out too late and there could be a storm and it could start to rain.

He stopped that little fantasy. It was about to get way too dirty. He have to save that one for later that night.

“Who do you think is going to win?” Murasakibara asked.

“Third place or the finals?”

“Third place is obvious. Without Kise, Kaijo stands no chance against Midorima.” Aomine said thinking that it was obvious. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so sure.

“As for the finals… I really don’t know.” He wanted to believe that Kagami and Kuroko could beat Akashi… but Akashi good. And Rakuzan also had three uncrowned kings. Without him, Touou stood no chance against Rakuzan. After losing to Seirin, Aomine now wasn’t sure how Touou would do with him against Akashi.

“By the way,” He continued. “Who’s that blond woman?”

“Alex-chin?” Murasakibara looked ahead of them. Masako still had her arm around Alex. “That’s coach’s girlfriend, and the woman who taught Kaga-chin and Mura-chin basketball.”

“Kagami knows her!” he blinked. So Kagami was taught by a pro. Looking back at Alex, she did have Nigou with her… he should have known.

“She’s staying with Kagami right now.”

Aomine narrowed his eyes. “So, you got to stay with Kagami and her last night.”

Murasakibara nodded.

* * *

 

Seirin was on the court warming up. The stadium was full, Kagami had never seen nearly every seat filled. A few times, she’d glance up and try to find Alex, Himuro and Momoi, but it would be impossible to spot them in the sea of people.

They had seen the end of the Shutoku/Kaijo game. As expected, without Kise, Shutoku won. The women’s basketball finals had taken place earlier that day. Kaijo took first place. Kagami would have to congratulate the girls later. And she didn’t doubt that they were now watching her game.

Often, Kuroko would glance over at Rakuzan. Kagami looked, doing her best not to make eye contact with any of the uncrowned kings. Anytime she did, they always smiled and waved at her… which she just found weird.

Rakuzan was doing lay ups. Hayama finished one and Kagami looked at the ground. And then Hyuga walked over to her.

“Isn’t that kind of weird.” He said, his eyes on Rakuzan.

“What?”

“They’re making all of their lay ups… I’ve never seen that. Usually someone will miss at least one.”

She watched. Hyuga was right. Not a single layup was missed. It was almost mesmerizing to watch but at the same time, terrified her. If even Rakuzan’s benched players didn’t miss a layup, just how good was their first string?

Kuroko carried a basketball across half court, meeting Akashi.

Kagami kept her eyes on them, ready to run over if Kuroko needed help. She couldn’t hear what the two were saying, but Akashi’s eyes were intense, and Kuroko didn’t back down.

“Hey Kagami, Hyuga, get back to warming up!” Riko ordered.

She turned but managed to catch Nebuya’s eye as he finished his layup. He smiled at her and then… flexed his arm.

She returned it with an awkward smile and ran to grab a basketball. No more looking at Rakuzan until the start of the game.

* * *

 

When warm ups ended, the teams went to their locker rooms. Kagami sat down next to Kuroko and nudged him.

“Hey… everything okay with Akashi?” she asked.

Kuroko nodded. “He just said not to disappoint hm.”

“Huh?” She raised her eyebrow. There had to be more to it than that but she didn’t push it.

Riko stood in front of them.

“Alright everyone, this is our last game this year. We need to do our best for every team that we’ve beat.” She continued on but Kagami didn’t hear the rest of her pep talk. She was thinking about the game, the uncrowned kings, the captain of the generation of miracle, those lay ups… this would by far be the toughest game they played.

* * *

 

Himuro sat on the end of the row next to Murasakibara. Already his friend had eaten three bags of snacks.

He was nervous for Seirin. Himuro wanted to see them win, but he also knew that Rakuzan was a very good team.

Both teams came out from the locker rooms and the stadium erupted into cheers. Both teams stood on the sidelines as an announcer went to introduce the regular players.

“Number 11, Kuroko Tetsuya!” Was the first from Seirin called out.

“That’s the phantom man!” Himuro overheard someone say.

“I can’t wait to watch him play!”

“Number 10, Kagami Taiga!”

“And that’s the girl! She’s so cute!”

Himuro smiled. It was nice to hear favorable comments directed towards Kagami, unlike at the Kaijo game, and to hear the crowd cheer loudly for her.

“Number 7, Kiyoshi Teppei!”

“Ugh Kiyoshi.” Murasakibara folded his arms.

“Come on Atsushi, he’s a good center.” Himuro grinned. “And he gave you quite the challenge at our game.”

“Tch.” Murasakibara frowned.

After the rest of Seirin was introduce, the announcer moved onto Rakuzan. The uncrowned kings were announced first. They alone made Rakuzan a strong team. But like in junior high, they were overshadowed by one of the generation of miracles being on their team.

And there was a fourth guy. Himuro forgot his name as soon as it was said. He squinted, the guy was barely noticeable among his teammates. It was hard to believe he was a regular on Rakuzan.

“And number 4, Akashi Seijuuro!”

“So that’s Akashi.” Fukui spoke. “I really wanted to play against him.”

“Maybe in college.” Okamura patted him on the back.

Akashi was something else. Even from far away Himuro could feel his overwhelming presence. It was almost hard to look at him without wanting to shrink up.

The teams walked on to the court for the tip off.

* * *

 

Everyone got in place for the final tip off. As Kagami stood in her spot, eye contact with the three uncrowned kings was unavoidable unless she planned to stare at the ground. They were still smiling at her, as if she was some old friend. Akashi also gave her a friendly glance.

She sighed. Rakuzan should have been an intimidating team, but she felt like she could have walked right into their locker room, sat with them, and made plans to hang out later.

But there was one from Rakuzan who wouldn’t look her way. She couldn’t remember his name but he wore number five.

She eyed Kuroko. He nodded at her. They had planned to get the first point and take control of the first quarter to show Rakuzan that they weren’t going to be a pushover. To do that, Kiyoshi had to get the ball to Kuroko.

The ref tossed up the ball and blew the whistle. Kiyoshi and Nebuya both jumped. They got to the ball at the same time. The ball flew from their hands at an odd angle, but Kuroko managed to get to it first.

Kagami made a run for the basket basket. Hayama must have known what she was going to do because he ran after her. Kuroko did a high pass to her and she caught it. She ran hard, wanting to show Hayama that she wasn’t messing around, and then she jumped from the free throw line and threw the ball into the basket scoring the first points of the game.

The crowd cheered. She glared at Hayama, intending to intimidate him, but he just smiled at her, as if congratulating her.

“You really are amazing! I can see why my captain has his eye on you.” Hayama said.

“Huh?” she tilted her head.

The rest of Rakuzan also didn’t seem concerned and something about that bothered her.

* * *

 

Aomine focused on Kagami. Rakuzan now had the ball. She ran at Hayama hard, intending to steal it, but he passed before she caught up to him.

“It’s it a bit too early in the game for this?” Imayoshi adjusted his glassed.

“What do you mean?” Sakura asked.

“It hasn’t even been a minute yet she’s playing like it’s the fourth quart of a very close game.” Imayoshi explained. “She can’t keep that up the whole game.”

Aomine had to agree. He understood wanting to establish an early lead, but that was way too much energy at the beginning. It was also a bad strategy to use against Akashi, who could easily use it against her.

“Is she in the zone?” Momoi asked.

Aomine shook his head. “No, not yet.” She was close. With the way she was playing, Aomine was afraid that she would go into it. He knew her trigger, fighting for her team, but after Seirin’s game with Kaijo, he saw that she had another. And her second one was very interesting. It was the crowd being against her, like a big fuck you to everyone.

Kagami had the ball and jumped up and scored over Rakuzan’s center.

“She got passed Nebuya.” Imayoshi laughed. “I wonder how he feels about that.”

Wakamatsu squinted. “I really don’t think it’s bothering him.”

There was something off about Rakuzan. Like Nebuya, none of them were bothered by the fact that she was over powering them. They also seemed… friendly towards her?

And then he noticed that they were completely ignoring Kuroko.

* * *

 

Kagami took a deep breath. So far Rakuzan was barely a challenge. If she could just keep this up, she could establish a huge lead. They weren’t playing seriously yet so she’d use that to her advantage.

The ball was passed to her from Izuki. She jumped to shoot. Nebuya and Mibuchi jumped to block her. But she managed to score, although it was sloppy. But Seirin now had a six-point lead.

* * *

 

Riko was concerned. Kagami was playing way too hard for that early in the game. She’d wear herself out by halftime if she kept up that pace

But she also didn’t want to break the momentum and Kagami was getting Seirin points. But with her last shot she was double teamed and barely scored over Mibuchi and Nebuya. Kagami needed more defense.

Riko called for player substitution. Mitobe in for Kuroko. All he had to do was take one off Kagami and that should give her more time to score points.

Kuroko slumped over as he walked to the bench and then flopped down in his seat.

“Kuroko are you okay?” Furihata asked.

“I was in a fighting mood.” He said with his head down.

“Don’t worry.” Riko said. “I’ll put you in later, after Kagami calms down.”

They would need Kuroko to win, no once Kagami lost some of that energy she was going to need Kuroko to score more points.

* * *

 

With Kuroko on the bench, there wasn’t much Mayuzumi could do. He whole job was to keep an eye on Seirin’s phantom man and to stop his passes. The was nothing he could do against their other players. He was now just there to pass to his teammates.

When Kagami scored another basket, Akashi called the team over for a quick meeting.

“Kotaro… Taiga is too much for you right now…” Akashi said curtly.

Hayama pouted but nodded. The guy could barely keep up with her and used Mayuzumi just to keep her from stealing.

“We’re going to switch marks.” Akashi continued.

“So you want to go against your wife now.” Mibuchi grinned.

Mayuzumi groaned. Over the past few months the team had gone from referring to Kagami as Akashi’s crush, to his girlfriend, to his fiancé… and now his wife. The two still hadn’t had a real conversation with each other.

Akashi nodded. “She is very strong and she has surpassed my expectations, but Seirin is getting a little too over confident now.” He eyed the crowd. “And others are starting to notice that one of the uncrowned kings can’t keep up with her.”

* * *

 

She stole the ball from Hayama ball and she expected him to stay to defend her. But when she turned, she was met by Akashi.

Kagami was surprised yet a little prideful. That meant she was too much for an uncrowned king and the captain of Teiko had to be the one to take her on. It was strange to see him mark her. She was so much taller than him, if she held the ball up he’d never reach it. Yet his gaze still made her feel like she was shrinking before him.

“Taiga.” He said. “You’re very good… but I’m sorry you won’t win this game.”

She scoffed. She’d get past this shorty. Kagami

dribbled, never taking her eyes off him, even though his eyes made her want to look away. And then she ran by him hard. He stepped in front of her but she easily ran by him… it was way too easy.

When she got near the net she jumped. Nebuya was there to block but she jumped higher than he could reach and then threw the ball to the basket. But it hit the rim and bounced off and Nebuya got the rebound.

Others on her team gasped. Kagami blinked and looked back at Akashi.

“I’m sorry but I let you by.” Akashi said. “I knew you would miss.”

* * *

 

Himuro rested his chin in his hands. Kagami ran, this time much slower back to defense.

“She’s calmed down.” He said to no one in particular.

Murasakibara nodded. “I knew she couldn’t play like that for long against Aka-chin.”

“You did?” Himuro raised his eyebrow at him.

Murasakibara folded his arms. “If I can’t beat him in a one on one then Kaga-chin can’t.”

Himuro laughed and then focused back on the game. Akashi had the ball and Kagami ran to mark him as if wanting revenge, but he passed the ball before she could even get close. And then Mibuchi scored.

* * *

 

Now that Akashi was marking her, Rakuzan was catching up to Seirin in points. But she was determined to get by him. If she could beat the other generation of miracles, she could certainly beat him.

Izuki passed to her and she glanced at Mitobe, indicating that she wanted help with Akashi.

Then she dribbled. Akashi kept his eyes locked on her and as she ran by, Mitobe ran to screen. But Akashi easily maneuvered around him and reached for the ball, hitting it out of her hand. Hayama caught it.

She looked at Akashi, her eyes wide. Kagami thought Mitobe had him blocked but… there was no way Akashi could have gotten around him. Unless he had predicted them both.

“It really is a shame that you didn’t go to Rakuzan.” He said. “I would have put you on our team and brought out your full potential.” He started to walk but looked back at her. “But there is still time to transfer.”

She scoffed. She was expecting something much different from the story that Kuroko told... but now, she really didn’t understand him. Kagami was however, a little flattered. The captain of the generation of miracles did in a way compliment her.

But she was happy to be apart of Seirin. Even if they did lose this game she’d never leave her team.

* * *

 

Aomine sat back and watched. Akashi had the ball and Kagami went to guard him. He wasn’t sure if Kagami was aware that she had switched marks or if she intentionally went to guard Akashi. Whatever the reason it was for the best, Seirin’s point guard didn’t stand a chance against him.

Akashi dribbled and Aomine braced himself for the ankle break. But he faked left and as Kagami followed him, he passed to Hayama.

He blinked, a second ago he was sure that Kagami would have been on the ground by now.

Momoi looked at him. “Dai-chan, he didn’t-“

“Yeah I know.” Aomine said. He had used his ankle break on Izuki a few times and Kagami was the type of player he would use it on.

“Well isn’t he a gentleman.” Imayoshi must have overheard them.

“What do you mean?” Sakurai turned towards him.

“Akashi likes to shut people down, especially a teams ace… but Kagami is still standing.” Imayoshi clasped his hands together.

“Is it because she’s a girl?” Sakurai asked.

“It could be, but I think there’s another reason.” Imayoshi grinned. “I think he wants to get laid.”

Wakamatsu rolled his eyes. “Do you really think she’s Akashi’s type?”

“Just think about it. He was captain of the generation of miracles and now he’s captain of his basketball team, which is the top in the country… don’t you think someone like him would want the best girl in the country?”

Aomine glared at him. Momoi gave him a worrying look. He always imagined that Akashi would marry a proper girl. Kagami was anything but that. And he doubted that the emperor would want a girlfriend that towered over him. But Imayoshi might have had a point.

It was bad enough that he’d have to compete with Kise, a model, but now Akashi? Akashi had never brought shoes to her right before a game… but he could give her so much more.

Imayoshi smirked. “Maybe I’ll ask her out before him… after this game. She might need some comfort after Seirin loses.”

Wakamatsu eyed him. “She won’t say yes, Kagami doesn’t like you.”

“Huh? And how would you know?” Imayoshi stuck out his lower lip.

“She told you to fuck off during our first game against Seirin, and she wasn’t exactly happy to see you at the hot spring.”

“Fine. Then maybe you should ask her out.”

“Me?” Wakamatsu raised his eyebrow.

“Don’t you remember her eyes when she saw you in the changing room? I think she’d say yes.” Imayoshi laughed. Sakura and Sousa also stifled laughter.

Wakamatsu looked down and blushed. “Don’t remind me.”

“None of you are asking her out.” Aomine folded his arms wanting them to shut up already. Imayoshi had some of the stupidest ideas. And what did he hope to achieve in asking Kagami out? To just simply get to her before Akashi?

“Why not Aomine?” Imayoshi locked his eyes on him. “Actually, now that I think about it, you did give her your basketball shoes… was that like a proposal?”

“No and shut up!” Aomine felt his face get hot. “And how did you know that I gave her my shoes.”

He pointed at Momoi. “She told us.”

Aomine glared at her and she just scoffed at him. Thankfully Imayoshi was graduating that year, or else he’d never hear the end of it. But Wakamatsu, Aomine glanced at him. No, he wasn’t likely to bring it up. If he did, Aomine could always bring up the hot spring as revenge.

“So Aomine, Kise, and Akashi all like Kagami…” Imayoshi spoke.

“We don’t know for sure about Akashi.” Wakamatsu grumbled.

“Maybe Midorima and Murasakibara do too…” Imayoshi continued ignoring him. “I’d love to see them fight over her… they could play basketball for Kagami’s heart and the one that wins gets her.”

“Tch.” Aomine said. If they had to play a basketball game, he’d win. But it would be between him and Kise, and maybe Akashi. She was definitely not Midorima’s type and Murasakibara… Aomine wasn’t sure if the guy could tell the difference between men and women.

“That’s not how Kagami is going to choose who she loves!” Momoi spat. Aomine thought she was going to push past him and get in Imayoshi’s face.

“But…” Imayoshi started. “Don’t you think she would want to marry a basketball player? And the best? It is the one thing she loves the most.”

Momoi looked down at the ground and pouted.

Aomine focused back on the game, just in time to see Mitobi block Mibuchi’s shot. He got the rebound and passed to Izuki.

Kagami then had the ball and before Akashi could mark her, she jumped up… very high and passed to Mitobe. Mitobe scored with a hook shot.

Kagami seemed to be taking the strategy to not confront Akashi, which was probably for the best. Right now she couldn’t get past him without have the ball stolen.

* * *

 

Mitobe put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a smile before running to the other end of the court.

“Uh thanks.” She said.

“He says nice play!” Koganei yelled from the bench.

“Yeah I got that…” Kagami had no idea how Koganei could understand Mitobe from that far away.

But now that Rakuzan had the ball, Akashi wasted no time scoring another point, effectively counter attacking.

And then Riko called for a player substitution. Kuroko stood on the sidelines ready to go back into the game. But as he walked onto the court, passed Mibuchi, Mibuchi moved out of his way.

“Did he just see Kuroko?” Izuki asked.

She nodded. That shouldn’t have happened. Kuroko could stand in a group of his close friends and not be seen.

The next play started up. Seirin had to counter attack to keep up their momentum. Kagami ran to the basket, keeping her distance from Akashi. But he wasn’t even pursuing her.

Izuki passed to Kuroko who hit the ball towards her… but Rakuzan’s number five caught the ball mid passed and threw it back to Akashi.

She blinked and then ran after them. But they were too far ahead for her to catch up to stop them from scoring.

“Come on Tetsuya!” She ordered. Kuroko was standing, frozen in place.

* * *

 

Riko buried her face into her hands as Rakuzan scored another point. She thought that number five had just been lucky when he caught Kuroko’s pass, but as the game continued more were stolen from him. Somehow, Kuroko was completely visible to Rakuzan.

She couldn’t figure out why. Maybe Akashi just knew Kuroko too well… but that couldn’t be it. Something else was happening…

* * *

 

The ball was knocked out of bounds. As number five went to grab the ball, Akashi approached Kuroko.

“Tetsuya… I’m disappointed.”

Kuroko looked at him and Kagami started to move closer.

“Um… Akashi…” Mibuchi reached out to him.

Akashi held up his hand. “It’s fine.” He focused on Kuroko. “Back in middle school do you know why I only ever let you practice passing and not shooting or dribbling?”

Kuroko didn’t respond the look on his face told everyone that he knew the answer.

“Because those skill would make you stand out. The vanishing drive and the phantom shot have done nothing but make you stand out… but the final nail in the coffin was that buzzer beater…”

Kuroko looked down at the ground, distressed.

“A star player could never be a shadow.” Akashi finished.

Kagami tensed up and walked towards him. But she wasn’t as angry as she should have been.

Akashi eyed her as if knowing her thoughts. “It’s only the truth.”

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. But she just wanted to jump into the zone shut down Rakuzan. It was early in the game but if she could kill their morale…

Seirin called for a player substitution. Tsuchida was put into the game for Kuroko.

“Hey Kagami.” Tsuchida approached her. “You’re on Hayama now.” He pointed to Rakuzan’s forward.

“But-“

“Just do it, coaches orders, Izuki is back on Akashi.”

She groaned and walked over to Hayama. He was much shorter than her, uncrowned king or not he should be no problem.

Kagami wanted to run over to Kuroko and tell him not to listen to Akashi and that the only reason that they got that far was because of him, anything to cheer him up. But he was already on the bench with a towel over his head. There was some truth to what Akashi had said, as much as she didn’t like it. But she wasn’t going to give up on him. Like always, Kuroko would find a way to come through for the team.

The ball was passed back in to play. She intentionally left Hayama open so that the ball would be passed to him. And then she went to mark him.

 He dribbled, grinning at her. “I wonder if I should use two fingers or three?”

Kagami’s eyes widened. “What! Ew!” She shrieked and took a step away from him. Was he some kind of  pervert…

Hayama’s face fell. “I’m so sorry I didn’t mean it like that!” He nearly bowed. “I just mean the number of fingers I’m going to use when I dribble!”

“Oh…” She breathed a sigh of relief wondering why that didn’t occur to her.

“Better make it three.” He finally said.

He started dribbling, fast. Kagami could barely see the ball. And then he maneuvered around her. Kagami was about to get in front of him but he passed to number five. She hadn’t even known that number five was nearby.

* * *

 

Alex sat next to Masako holding Nigou. Their seats were behind Yosen. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Himuro.

“Seirin is a good team.” Masako said and then reached over and scratched behind Nigou’s ears. The dog yipped. Everyone on Yosen had a one point turned around and pet Nigou.

“I’m glad that Kagami has calmed down.” Alex commented. She was a little worried about her starting off so strong. It worked to set an early lead for Seirin, but once Akashi started marking her it’s effect quickly wore off.

Seirin called for another substitution and Kuroko was put back into the game.

“I’m surprised they put him back in.” Masako said. “His misdirection obviously doesn’t work against Rakuzan.”

Alex nodded. As much as she hated to admit it, there wasn’t much Kuroko could do on the court.

Kuroko tried his vanishing drive, but the number five could still see him. And then his phantom shot, but again, number five saw the ball and blocked the shot.

Alex sighed feeling bad for him. Kuroko loved basketball and despite having no technical skills, he had found a style that worked for him. But to see it become worthless at finals, it broke her heart.

First quarter was almost over. Nebuya had the ball. He threw it to the net but Kiyoshi jumped and grabbed it with his vice claw. Then he passed it to Izuki who passed to Hyuga.

Hyuga shot, missing Mibuchi’s block, and scored a three pointer before the buzzer went off, signaling the end of first quarter. Seirin needed that basket if they were going to keep up their morale.

She eyed Kagami who saw sitting on the bench drinking her water. Despite now being behind in points, she still seemed to be in high spirits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One thing I like about this story is that Kaijo and Shutoku, despite being beaten early on, weren't treated as the "easy teams". Both teams grew and took third and fourth place in the Winter Cup. (And they lost because of Kagami and Kuroko's teamwork) I was also happy that Shutoku got third place. Midorima deserved a win.
> 
> I didn't have femKagami go into the zone right away like canon Kagami did. I figured she wouldn't jump right into it and... she's also a little weirded out by Rakuzan. Poor girl doesn't realize that she's like an extended family member to them. And she's a little dense and can't figure out that Akashi wants her... although... like most headcanon he is bad at flirting. 
> 
> But yes, Akashi wants her on Rakuzan's team, because she's a good player and he want's his future wife on the winning team. This is also why he's not using his ankle break. He about appearances and he doesn't want to humiliate her. He's also in a weird position where he wants her to be great, better than his teammates, but not as good as him. Oreshi is definitely in there and has feelings for her, but bokushi really complicates them.
> 
> I also don't want to make Akashi a villain because he wants to marry Kagami. He probably has the power to make that happen but that is not a story I want to tell. Otherwise that kills Akakaga and I still want oreshi to have a chance with her. I also don't want Kagami's motivation to win to be that she doesn't have to marry him... yeah I don't want that story. So I'm trying to write it so that Oreshi is the one that has the feelings for her but Bokushi is trying to put them to practical use by deciding that he should marry her to create super basketball playing offspring. (Oreshi will of course want to marry and have kids with her but he wouldn't feel entitled to her.
> 
> And sorry for the lame Hayama joke. When I watched the anime, anytime he talked about how many fingers he was going to use, my mind went to dirty places. (And after he laughed at Izuki's pun, I started crack shipping them)
> 
> Reading the manga, Masako and Harasawa do meet before the game with their teams. Masako said that she has trouble dealing with him. I can't remember if that happened in the anime. But I threw in Alex, Harasawa tried to flirt with her, (he's a good looking guy, if Alex had met him first, those two could have been dating) but Masako was like uh no! Mine!
> 
> Aomine... one day you will get to Kagami's apartment. Maybe for a celebration for a certain someone.


	47. Seirin vs Rakuzan Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seirin vs Rakuzan part 2
> 
> Another exhausting chapter!

Kagami sat on the bench drinking her water, watching the time tick down to the start of the second quarter. Despite her play at the beginning of the game, she wasn’t exhausted. In fact, she felt that she could have played at the same intensity for the entire next quarter.

Kuroko sat next to her, forehead in palms. Furihata handed him a towel. Kuroko took it and draped it over his head.

Riko stood in front of him.

“Kuroko, I’m subbing you out for now.” She said. “Well see if pulling you back in the second quarter helps with your high presence.” She trailed off at the end, as though what she was saying were odd, and in any other context it would be.

Kagami felt bad. For the first half of then first quarter she had dominated and received very few of his passes. She might not needed them at all. The situation was all too similar to that game his second year of middle school, the one where Aomine didn’t return his fist bump.

“Don’t worry, we still need you.” She pat him on the back hoping to encourage him.

Kuroko looked up at her.

“Rakuzan probably wasn’t playing seriously.” She spoke, and now that she said it, she felt herself tense up. She had been playing at near 90% and was still beat by Akashi, who was holding back. When he did play at 100%... he was going to completely destroy them.

“Trust me, we’ll need you.”

It wasn’t empty words. She had only beat the other generation of miracles with his help. Akashi would be no different.

Kuroko straightened up. “Right…” He paused. “For now I’ll sit on the bench and watch Rakuzan, maybe I’ll find a weakness.”

She smiled and then saw that it was time to go back onto court for second quarter.

* * *

 

Aomine rested his chin in his hands and focused on Rakuzan. The uncrowned kings were enough of a challenge for Seirin. Even if Akashi wasn’t on the court this would still be a difficult game for them. If it weren’t for that final three pointer at the end of last quarter, their morale would likely be down going in to the second quarter.

He eyed Rakuzan’s number five, the only one that wasn’t well known. The guy seemed like an average player. At first Aomine thought it only appeared that way because he was on the court with Akashi and the uncrowned kings. But the more he watched him the more Aomine saw that he was pretty unremarkable. He also kept losing track of him, which reminded him of someone.

“Hey Satsuki, do you have any information on number five?”

Momoi opened her notebook and flipped through the pages.

“Mayuzumi Chihiro… he’s a third year… all his skills are average… no slightly below average. He just started playing first string this year… before he was on third string…”

Aomine sighed. “Doesn’t that sound like someone we know?”

As if on cue, Mayuzumi stopped a pass that was meant for Kiyoshi and hit it to Mibuchi, who then scored a three pointer.

“Huh…” Momoi blinked. “That was misdirection… Tetsu-kun!”

Aomine sighed. Of course Akashi would go out and find a replacement for Kuroko. Which mean that even in their third year, Akashi still found Kuroko to be of use.

“So there is another phantom man.” Imayoshi said. Aomine braced himself for whatever weird thing that could possibly come out of his mouth. “But this one seems a little different from Kuroko…”

Aomine eyed Mayuzumi, analyzing him and his skills. He was taller and could guard far better than Kuroko ever could. Earlier he had seen him dribbling and faking. His skills weren’t the best, but they didn’t have to be if his specialty was being invisible.

* * *

 

Kagami had her eyes locked on Mayuzumi, still unable to believe that he had just used misdirection. But now that she thought about it, she often forgot he was on the court.

“Is he just like Kuroko.” Izuki asked to no one in particular.

Akashi looked over at them. “Not quite… the two do have a very low presence and they both specialize in misdirection, but that is all that they have in common. Chihiro’s fundamentals are all much stronger than Tetsuya’s.” He paused and glanced over at Seirin’s bench. “If you were to call Tetsuya the old model, then Chihiro is the new and improved.”

Kagami clenched her fist and started to walk towards Mayuzumi. She’d shut down that new and “improved” model.

“I’ll mark him!” She was taller and faster than him

Mayuzumi backed up as she approached and started to cower. Good, he was a push over.

“Kagami.” Kiyoshi put his hand on her shoulder stopping her in her tracks. “Mitobe has him… stay on Hayama.”

She glared at Kiyoshi but then relaxed her fist. “Fine.” She mumbled. But now she had to make sure not to lose Mayuzumi. Kagami knew how valuable misdirection was, it had saved Seirin many times.

But she learned quickly that keeping track of Mayuzumi was near impossible. Right away he redirected a pass meant for her back to Akashi. As he hit the ball off its trajectory, she finally knew how the other teams felt when Kuroko did the same to them.

* * *

 

Mayuzumi glared at Akashi once Kagami had backed off. The plan was to not upset her.

After watching several of Seirin’s games they noticed that when anyone mocked Kuroko, and later Furihata during the Kaijo game, Kagami got way more aggressive. Mibuchi called it her mama bear instinct.

Now that he saw it in person… Kagami was far more terrifying than she had appeared on video. That cold glare, when it was directed at him, made him want to run.

Akashi could handle her at her, what they called, her rage mode. Worst case scenario he could ankle break her and stop her in her tracks.

But Mayuzumi wouldn’t be so lucky. His job was not to be noticed. Not to be knocked on his ass by a foul from an overly passionate player.

He was just glad that he wouldn’t have to play against her when she was a third year, when she’d have several under classmen with her on the court… especially if she were made captain.

Akashi passed the ball to him and he passed to Nebuya who dunked. Then Nebuya ran by him.

“Nice play!” He smiled.

Mayuzumi scoffed. Before he joined first string the other uncrowned kings never acknowledged him. And now that he was a regular, they still rarely listened to him. All year he had to hear all their dumb, specifically regarding Kagami. And now that they finally got to play her, they were doing nothing but creeping her out. He did feel a little bad for her. The girl was totally oblivious Akashi’s feelings towards her or more specifically, what he wanted.

Rakuzan stole the ball from Seirin. Akashi passed to him. Mitobe marked him. He didn’t mind Mitobe guarding him. He was in control of his emotions during a heated game… and he was also quiet.  

But there was no way he could pass. So he raised his arms up and shot the ball. Mitobe wasn’t expecting him to shoot and was too late when he went to block. The ball went into the net.

“He can shoot…” Hyuga was wide eyed.

Mayuzumi felt a pair of eyes on him. He looked at Seirin’s bench and saw Kuroko watching him. He had a look of astonishment… and dislike.

* * *

 

Kagami looked at the score. The point gap was only widening. Mayuzumi really was a pain. No matter how hard she tried to keep track of him he’d slip away from her radar, only to show up to redirect a pass back to his team.

She glanced over at Kuroko. She really needed his passes.

Seirin called for a player substation. She looked, expecting to see Kuroko ready to come back into the game. But it was Furihata, shaking and barely able to keep standing. He walked on to the court, his legs stiff.

She thought that Izuki would be the one going to the bench, but it was Mitobe. And then she understood. Riko planned to use Izuki’s eagle eye to watch Mayuzumi. It wasn’t as good at Takao’s hawk eye, but it was better than what anyone else on the court had.

“Good luck Furihata.” Izuki smiled at him.

Furihata did his best to nod.

Kagami walked over to him and pat him on the back. “Don’t worry, you’ll do fine.”

“We’re happy you’re out here Furihata.” Kiyoshi smiled.

“You’re on Akashi.” Hyuga pointed.

“Huh?” Furihata turned slowly towards Rakuzan’s captain and his shaking only got more violent. He slowly walked over and stood in front of him.

“Br-bring it on.” He said barely above a whisper.

 Despite being around the same height Akashi seemed to tower over him. His eyes were intense, but he also looked as though he didn’t know what to do about Furihata.

Akashi went to catch the ball that was thrown back into play. Furihata stepped towards him and then fell over onto his face. Akashi turned to look at him… and almost seemed to have some sympathy.

Kagami put her hand over her forehead and then moved closer to them, figuring that Furihata may need her help. But she still kept close to Hayama, not wanting to leave him open. Lucky for her, he followed, despite being on offense and would want to keep himself open.

Akashi caught the ball. Furihata stood marking him while shaking. Akashi faked and ran by him. Kagami ran to meet him, not wanting to let him get too close to the basket. They were on the inside of Seirin’s defensive area, leaving little room to ankle break or maneuver around.

But Akashi looked her up and down, jumped back and still managed to find a way through. Kagami chased after him. He shot the ball and she jumped to block. Her hand barely touched it, but it was enough to throw it off it’s course. It bounced off the rim. But Nebuya jumped up and hit it back into the basket.

She stomped her foot on the ground. So close. Akashi eyed her, sort of acknowledging her, but she glared back at him, frustrated.

Now that Seirin had the ball, Akashi marked her. Furihata was completely open as he took the ball across half court.

“Mayuzumi what are you doing!” Nebuya yelled as Furihata approached the three point line and got ready to shot.

Mayuzumi ran to block but the ball was already out of Furihata’s hands. He scored a three pointer and stood blinking, unable to believe that had happened.

Kagami jumped up and cheered.

“He’s not as weak as I thought he’d be…” Akashi said keeping his eyes on Furihata.

Kagami ran over and gave him a high five and Kiyoshi ruffled his hair. Furihata had a huge smile on his face.

* * *

 

Himuro sat and watched, impressed with the first year. He barely knew Furihata. During the movie they watched the previous night he barely said a word.

“I can’t believe he made that shot.” Murasakibara folded his arms.

“Yeah, he’s not too bad, with more practice he could be on second string next year.”

Murasakibara reluctantly nodded.

Furihata’s basket also seemed to boost Seirin’s morale. They no longer had that lost look in their eyes that was there when they found out that Mayuzumi specialized in misdirection.

He eyed Kagami. She was guarding Hayama while keeping an eye on Furihata. There was enough distance that she could keep guarding but also make it over to assist Furihata if needed.

Murasakibara opened a bag of chips, annoyed that it was his last, and stuck one in his mouth. They’d have to stop at a vending machine during half time.

“Seirin is an interesting team.” Fukui said. “They can even make use of their third string.”

Himuro nodded.

Furihata stood in front of Akashi, more confident this time as he marked him. The look in Akashi’s eyes indicated that he noticed. He faked left and then ran by him and was about to pass to Mayuzumi, but Izuki was there to guard Rakuzan’s phantom man. Furihata ran after Akashi attempting to block him.

Akashi dribbled, and then did his crossover. Furihata tried to follow but fell to the ground. And then Akashi shot and scored a three.

“But Akashi is still too much for him.” Okamura said sounding sad.

“I could have told you that.” Murasakibara frowned.

Rakuzan called a time out.

Himuro turned to face Alex. She held Nigou while Masako scratched behind the dog’s ears but both had their eyes on the court. Then Himuro focused back on the game. Furihata could barely walk to the bench.

* * *

 

Momoi eyed Rakuzan. They were planning something. There was no other reason to call a time out when they were in the lead.

When the time out ended, Furihata sat on the bench and rested his head into his hands. Another first year walked out onto the court.

“They’re taking him out already?” She look at Aomine.

 Furihata was only in for a few minutes at most. And he wasn’t doing too bad. Akashi even felt the need to ankle break him to get that three pointer.

Imayoshi nodded. “He doesn’t have enough stamina to stay in the game long.”

Momoi looked closer. Furihata did look worn out. But his stamina wasn’t the only issue. Going up against Akashi was very exhausting for anyone. She often wondered how Aomine would do if they had both played in the inter high finals.

“But they’re sending in another first year…”

Imayoshi shrugged. “I really don’t understand their strategy.”

Momoi focused on Kagami. She was still holding strong despite her play at the beginning of the game.

What Imayoshi had said about Akashi and Kagami earlier bothered her. It was hard to believe that Akashi would be in love with a girl like her… no it was absurd. But if that were the case, Rakuzan’s behavior towards her made a lot more sense. Akashi would never allow anyone to be rude towards a girl that he wanted.

She tried to picture them together. Kagami standing so much taller than him and her loud competitive personality matching up against his… she really didn’t seem like his type. But… it wasn’t like Akashi had ever spoken about his type of girl in middle school. Maybe he liked tomboyish girls. And… she did love basketball.

Kagami also wasn’t what Aomine would describe as his type either. And now he was hopelessly in love with her, and Kise…

On the court the shooting guards were in an intense battle. Mibuchi and Hyuga were alternating shooting threes. Scoring points for each of their team, but doing nothing to increase or decrease the point gap.

She found Kagami marking Hayama. Momoi opened up her notebook to his page. He was a fast dribbler and had animal instincts just like her. But, despite him being an uncrowned king, Momoi expected her to be able to handle him.

And then she spotted Kuroko on the bench. She felt horrible for him and who knew how he felt knowing that Akashi had gone out and found a replacement phantom man. One would think he would have been done for that game, but Momoi knew he’d be back in later.

Hyuga jumped to block Mibuchi, but messed up the timing and got a foul.

“Well that battle is over.” Imayoshi said. “Hyuga lost.”

And then Kiyoshi reached towards Hyuga, wanting him to pass the ball.

* * *

 

Riko kept her eyes on Kiyoshi’s knee. He had just taken the ball from Hyuga and was ready to take on the center. As he worded it, “I want to have some fun now.”

She didn’t think it was a good idea, especially with how aggressive the two were playing, each dunking against each other whenever their team had the ball. Anytime Kiyoshi landed after a dunk, Riko would cringe.

“Hey what’s with that guy?” Koganei asked as the battle between the centers continued.

Anytime Nebuya did anything, he’d scream “muscle” followed by whatever he was doing. Muscle block, muscle dunk, whatever. Riko found it obnoxious. And she wasn’t the only one. Mibuchi also made it known that they didn’t appreciate it.

But Nebuya loved his muscles and his strength. He said so himself. His strategy was to become as strong as possible, so that no one could stop him. And it seemed to be working. Kiyoshi could barely guard him.

She eyed Fukada. He was breathing heavily and could barely keep up with Akashi. She’d have to sub him out soon.

Kiyoshi had the ball, and as he went to score, Nebuya jumped to block. There was no way to score over him so Kiyoshi did his right of postponement and then passed to Hyuga who shot and scored a three. It was the right choice, but Kiyoshi had ultimately lost the battle between the centers.

She gripped the bottom of her skirt. Her team was almost helpless against Rakuzan. In fact, Rakuzan seemed to be barely putting any effort into the game.

 She eyed Kuroko, wondering if there was anyway they could get back his lack of presence.

Izuki passed to Fukada, but be barely noticed the ball coming his way and it bounced off his hand.

Riko sighed. “Kawahara, you’re in.”

She hated that strategy, but it was all she could think to do.

* * *

 

The point gap was only getting wider. Kagami stayed on Hayama while keeping her eye on Kawahara.

The ball was passed to Hayama. He dribbled using three fingers and then grinned at Kagami and maneuvered around her. She tried to guard but wasn’t fast enough and he ran towards the basket. She desperately tried to block as he went to score, but she was too slow.

She scoffed, ignoring the crowd cheering. Hayama turned smiled at her as if they were playing a one on one at an outdoor basketball court after school. Then he noticed that the crowd wasn’t cheering as loudly for him as the other two kings. He stuck out his lower lip and pouted.

“What’s your problem!” Mibuchi scolded.

“I think they like you and Nebuya better!”

While the two talked, Kagami moved away from them. Izuki passed her the ball. She ran down the court. Hayama noticed that she was left completely unguarded and ran after her. But she was already way ahead of him.

She jumped and dunked the ball and flipped her pony tail back as she landed.

Finally, she scored another point. It should have made her feel better, but Seirin was still so far behind.

Rakuzan now had the ball. Mayuzumi managed to slip away from Izuki and pass to Akashi. Akashi took the ball under the basket. And then he did something no one expected. He jumped and dunked the ball.

Everyone on the court stood silent staring at him.

Akashi brushed him self off. “Dunking isn’t only a skill for tall players.” He said.

Maybe but… that was almost unbelievable. And could he do it more than once?

Then the buzzer went off. Second quarter ended and Seirin was twenty-five points behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, Akashi's dunk kind of annoys me. I feel like that shouldn't be possible for him with out a lot of power... which would ultimately wear him out if he kept doing it. But that makes his jumping ability better than Kagami's.  
> Maybe I should have left it out for this fic but oh well.
> 
> I probably need to go back and show it better, but I always figured fem Kagami has a more protective nature. You pick on the little ones and she's coming for you. And Mayuzumi is only there to pass, he's not there to be run down by her, cause he knows that he can't handle any rough play with her.
> 
> I did my best to write the uncrowned kings battle with the Seirin players. I didn't want to basically rewrite the game but that was important for their characters. Although I kind of glossed over Kiyoshi and Nebuya's hilarious muscle attacks. Acutally, I wish I could have seen Nebuya play against Murasakibara... that could have been pretty funny.
> 
> I was kind of think if Kagami had gone to Rakuzan, Mayuzumi would have probably been her shadow and then I thought up another God damn AU where that happens. It can work with canon or fem Kagami. But now Akashi has a new Aomine and Kuroko on his team (Light and Shadow), and because he's good at pulling out everyone's potential, Kagami's skills increase rapidly.
> 
> Now this is a little sad for Seirin because they might not even beat Dad's team and certainly not Shutoku or Kaijo. But we'll say that Aomine was not injured in his game with Kaijo and does play in the inter high finals with Akashi... and loses badly against the shadow and light pair. He even goes into the zone but Kagami can too. And the loss is a huge blow because he was the one that said he didn't need a Shadow. And it was Akashi, who kept ankle breaking him when he wasn't dealing with the new shadow and light, brought up all his flaws during the game and later gave a condescending speech.The game was absolutely no fun.
> 
> So he goes to Kuroko, begs him to transfer to Touou. Kuroko says no, he loves Seirin. And instead Aomine transfers to Seirin because he doesn't really get along with anyoen from Touou anyway. Finals it's Aomine and Kuroko vs Mayuzumi and Kagami... Maybe I'll write parts of it in the Extra stories.
> 
> Anyway, I'll be at a con this weekend. The next chapter will come out next week.


	48. Seirin vs Rakuzan Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the convention last weekend was a lot of fun. I bought some Kuroko earrings and a Murasakibara key chain. Also some Game of Thrones themed candles, a NASA tee-shirt... and probably some other stuff that I can't remember at the moment.
> 
> But back to this fic. We're so close to the end! It will be a relief when the Rakuzan game is over. This was another very difficult chapter to write. But here you go.

Kagami sat in the locker room, relieved for the fifteen-minute halftime. It had been Rakuzan’s intention to slowly crush each member of Seirin, and so far that had happened to Kiyoshi, Hyuga, Izuki and worst of all, to Kuroko. But they had been so polite to her that she couldn’t hate them. Maybe that was part of their plan, kill everyone of her teammate’s will to plan and leave her emotionally conflicted.

Riko paced around the locker room with her hand over her forehead. Several times she’d stop and look at everyone for a moment and then go back to pacing.

Winning seemed hopeless and everyone on Seirin seemed to share that thought. Even Kiyoshi, who was always so positive and encouraging, looked defeated.

Hyuga slammed his fist against the locker. “We’re not giving up! The game isn’t over yet! We can still win!”

No one expected that Hyuga would be the one to lift everyone’s spirits. Even while he was trembling as he spoke all of Seirin perked up when he finished his pep talk.

Izuki forced himself to sit up. Akashi had really worn him out that last quarter. And Kagami could empathize. Akashi was very intimidating. It was hard for her not to lower her head anytime he stared into her eyes. It reminded her of some of the guys she had played one on one with back in America. Those that thought she could cower under them.

She stood up.

“Riko, let me mark Akashi.”

Riko looked over at her. “I was thinking that too.” She said. “Right now, you’re the only one that can…” Although she still didn’t sound sure.

Then Riko eyed Izuki. “You’ll be on Hayama. Do you think you can handle him? Kagami had a little trouble.”

“I’ll figure something out.” Izuki said doing his best to sound confident.

“Just watch out for his dribbling.” Kagami said. “He’s fast… and the more fingers he uses, the faster he is.” She almost giggled as she recalled what he had said earlier.

At two minutes left for halftime, they walked back to the gym for third quarter. Before Kagami stepped onto the court, Kuroko tapped her on the back. She turned to face him.

“Taiga…. Go out and win.” He smiled.

She returned it and gave him a fist bump.

Seirin had the ball first. Akashi guarded her and acted as though he already knew that Seirin was switching her mark to him. She stared into his eyes. Her knees wanted to buckle but she held strong.

 _Don’t give in_ … She thought, wanting to look away. _Come on, he’s small, you could easily run him down if you wanted… wait no…. don’t do that you’ll get a foul… no not that you were going to just that you could, he’s no that scary-_

She shook her head, blocking out the distracting thoughts.

With in the first thirty seconds, Hyuga shot and scored a three. Akashi barely reacted.

Then Rakuzan had the ball. It was passed to Mibuchi. Mibuchi dribbled to the three-point line right in front of Hyuga, giving him a smirk. Something about it made Kagami feel uneasy. And then Mibuchi jumped to shoot and Hyuga followed attempting to block.

The ref blew the whistle. “Foul! Black number 4!”

Hyuga looked at the ref confused. “But I didn’t even touch him!” The ref didn’t respond. Hyuga approached him. “Ref that wasn’t a foul, I never touched him!”

Kagami felt herself grow cold inside as Hyuga argued and started to walk towards him. She hadn’t really seen what had happened. From the angle she was at, Mibuchi blocked most of her view. But by the smile Mibuchi game, she thought that what Hyuga said was true.

“Ref that shouldn’t have been a foul!” Hyuga said more aggressively this time.

The ref blew the whistle again. “Technical foul! Black number 4!”

That was Hyuga’s fourth foul. He stood there not moving, realizing what he had just done. Riko would have no choice but to sub him out and they only other person that could act as a shooting guard was Koganei and his accuracy was fifty percent at best.

 In the corner of her eye, Kagami saw Shutoku enter the gym.

* * *

 

Takao watched Hyuga walk to the bench, feeling sorry for him. But he should have known better than to argue with the ref, especially with three fouls.

He glanced back at Midorima. Their meeting after the game had to be cut short because he was eager to get into the gym to watch the game. Takao knew why and he just couldn’t help himself.

He fake sighed. “I’ve never felt so rushed to get to get to a game, I mean, it’s only the beginning of the third quarter. It wouldn’t have been that big of a deal if we stayed in the locker room for just a little bit longer.” Then he grinned. “But someone really wanted to watch his girlfriend.”

Midorima glared at him and then folded his arms. “No I just want to see who wins the finals.” He insisted but his face was red.

“Sure, and waiting till the fourth quarter just wasn’t soon enough?” Takao winked. He glanced over at Kagami who was wiping sweat off her face and breathing heavily.

“Well it’s understandable, if there was a girl that I was in love with, I’d want to watch every second of her game?” Kimura said nonchalantly.

“Yeah, especially when we get to stand right next to the court.” Otsubo smiled at Midorima. “I’d be cheering on my girlfriend loudly.”

Midorima glared at him, and then at Takao for what he had started.

Takao laughed. There was nothing more fun than bringing up Midorima’s crush around the team. He was way too obvious, there was no way that Kagami didn’t know. She’d probably love it if Midorima cheered her on. After all, she cheered for him yesterday.

“Calm down Midorima and just enjoy it.” Miyaji said patting him on the back. “Kagami is cute.”

Midorima stared at the ground and then adjusted his glasses.

Takao eyed Seirin’s bench. “Still it’s a shame about Hyuga, he really shouldn’t have argued with the ref. Now Seirin doesn’t have anyone to shoot threes.” Koganei was a decent shooting guard, but his shots only scored about half the time and with his short height they’d be very easy to block.

“I don’t really blame him.” Midorima said and eyed Kiyoshi. “He really wants to win.”

“Huh?” Takao looked at him not expecting that answer. But Midorima said no more about it.

“Those two are strange. Just look at them.” Otsubo gestured towards Kagami and Akashi. Kagami was marking him and looked very pissed off while Akashi was completely unphased and almost seemed… proud of her?

The look on Midorima’s face told him all that he needed to know.

Takao sighed. “Shin-chan, don’t tell me Akashi is your rival…”

Midorima adjusted his glasses but his silence only told them that it was the truth.

Otsubo blinked. “Akashi… and Kise too right? I wouldn’t want those two to be my competition.”

Midorima started to lower his head and Takao felt bad for bringing it up.

“Come on Shin-chan, do you really think she’d choose Akashi over you?” It was his attempt to cheer him up and he scrambled for something to say, and advantage he’d have over both of them. “Girls like tall men, and Akashi is much shorter than her.” He didn’t dare bring up the fact that Akashi had beat him in yesterday’s game or the fact that Kise was a model. In fact, he wasn’t going to bring up Kise at all.

He really had tough competition. Midorima was a socially awkward nerd who needed his lucky item to function whereas Kise was good looking, charming and could get along with everyone and Akashi… with his wealth he could probably give Kagami anything that the she wanted.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t she choose you over him? She wouldn’t want a guy that could knock her to the floor whenever he wanted.” Kimura continued referring to Akashi’s ankle break.

“And she had a lot of fun with you at the beach.” Miyaji added. “Akashi has never been to the beach with her.”

“And you’re the only one she ever cheered loudly for during a game.” Otsubo threw his arm around his shoulder. Midorima was only annoyed by the gesture.

Takao was tempted to bring up the fact that Kagami wasn’t angry when Midorima accidently copped that feel on her during that volleyball game, but somehow, he didn’t think that would help. And Midorima already looked annoyed enough. But what Otsubo said should had been enough.

As Takao watched the game, he noticed one thing. Akashi wasn’t using his ankle break on her. Even when the situation was ideal. He’d find another way around her, either by passing or using another one of his teammates to screen her.

* * *

 

Kise walked into the gym with his team. His foot still hurt anytime he put weight on it, but he didn’t let it show.

 Shutoku had already arrived and were standing on the opposite end. He really wished that he could have played in that game and was almost regretting going all out against Seirin. If he hadn’t, Kaijo could have gotten third place and Kasamatsu would have one his last high school game. But there was nothing he could do about that now.

“Really, the guys that just beat us are in here too?” Kasamatsu groaned. Even though it was expected, the loss was still hitting him. He had wanted to win the Winter Cup, and now that would never happen for him.

Kise had expected them to arrive to the gym before Shutoku. Usually they had much longer after game meetings whereas Kaijos were usually very brief. Then he spotted his former teammate and grinned.

“Midorimacchi is in love with Kagamicchi... He probably really wanted to be in here to watch her.”

“Really?” Kasamatsu raised his eyebrow. “That guy likes her?”

Kise laughed. It had been a surprise to him too when he figured out. “Yeah, I have a rival!”

“Well if she’s smart, she’ll choose him over you.” Kasamatsu said.

“What! So mean!” Kise stuck out his lower lip.

“But still…” Kise eyed Kagami. She had just jumped up, attempting to block one of Akashi shots, and her shirt lifted a little giving him a quick glimpse of her abs. It was a fake and Akashi passed to Mibuchi. But once she landed she went right back to chasing after him. “So far she’s doing good marking him.”

But he knew that Akashi was still holding back.

* * *

 

Akashi stood in front of her, ready to guard. She dribbled and tried to intimidate him like he had done to her. But nothing she did even made him blink.

“You really should have been on a better team.” He said.

“I like Seirin.” She said curtly. Kagami didn’t get what he meant by “better team”. Seirin was guaranteed at least second place. That made them a pretty damn good team especially for being only two years old. Unless he just really wanted her on his team. She wondered if he had offered this to any of his Teiko teammates.

She tried to run by Akashi but he smacked the ball out of her hand. It bounced over to Hayama.

“If you were anyone else, by now I would have completely destroyed your will to play. But I can’t do that to you.” His eyes were intense and he spoke as if he were speaking to someone way beneath him.

“Why because I’m a girl?” She rolled her eyes. “Come on, do your worst against me. I can handle it.”

“After everything you went through this season, I know you can, but I’m not going to do it.” He said and started to walk away but he stopped and looked at her. “And there is no reason, my victory is absolute… I never lose.”

She scoffed. “I think you need to.”

“That will not happen.” He said and then walked away from her

“What…”  Kagami just stood and stared at him. Just who did that guy think he was?

Mibuchi approached her. “Don’t worry Kagami, Sei-chan just has trouble expressing himself at times.” He continued down the court.

“Huh?”

Mayuzumi walked by, looked at her as though she were missing something obvious and then sighed and kept going.

She groaned. Rakuzan was very annoying. Koganei was nearby and heard the entire thing. He looked over at her and shrugged.

The ball was passed to Akashi. She ran at him full force wanting to knock that ball out of his hands. If she fouled, she fouled. But she’d make him play all out against her instead of that weird politeness he was doing.

Seirin called for a time out. Annoyed she walked to the bench.

“Hey I was ready to-“

“Kagami sit down, we don’t need you getting four fouls too!” Riko said harshly.

She groaned and sat next to Kuroko. So far she didn’t have a single found, Riko had no reason to think that she’d get four. Kagami took a drink from her water bottle and eyed the scoreboard. The point gap closed very little and they were still far behind in points.

“Kuroko talk some sense into her. Tell her she needs to calm down.” Riko said.

Kuroko didn’t respond.

“Kuroko?”

“I don’t want to lose…” He said to no one in particular. “Even if there is only a small chance of it happing, I still want to be the best in Japan.”

Everyone looked at him.

“I think we can still do it.” He looked at Riko. “Please put me back into the game.”

“Kuroko… are you sure?” Riko asked.

He nodded. “I think I know how I can get my low presence back.” He said.

“Alright.” She said sounding nervous.

He then looked at her. “And Taiga… for it to work I’ll need you to be calm. You’ll have to hold back a little.”

“Fine.” She folded her arms.

* * *

 

Aomine watched wide eyed as Kuroko walked back onto the court. He was sure his was out for the rest of the game. Without his misdirection there wasn’t much he could do.

He was impressed with Kagami with how well she held up against Akashi. Although Akashi was different with her than he was with others. He was far gentler… maybe Imayoshi was on to something when he said that Akashi was in love with her.

“You know.” Imayoshi began and Aomine braced himself for whatever weird thing that was about to come out of his mouth.

“Usually when one team is dominating another, basketball is boring. If you look around you’ll notice that some people have left…. But it is fun to watch those two.” He was referring to Akashi and Kagami. “And now they’re putting Kuroko back into the game… this should be interesting.”

He waited for Imayoshi to continue as did everyone else. But, to everyone’s shock, Imayoshi was done speaking.

“I wonder what Tetsu-kun plans to do.” Momoi spoke.

He shrugged. Seirin had to have something planned, otherwise they wouldn’t put Kuroko back into the game. But now that he thought about it, Kuroko was good at coming up with last minute plans.

Aomine focused back on the court. Kuroko was marking Mayuzumi. Mayuzumi easily ran past him and went to shoot. But Kagami blocked. Somehow, she had seen him.

* * *

 

Kuroko had let Mayuzumi pass him and shoot, just like they had planned. The more points he scored, the more he’d stand out. Kagami stayed on Akashi, keeping him busy.

Izuki passed to Koganei. Kagami held her breath as he shot the ball and breathed a sigh of relief when he made the basket scoring another three points for Seirin.

And then Seirin was back on defense. Mayuzumi was unaware of what Kuroko was doing and ran past him and scored another two points for Rakuzan.

But Akashi noticed. The next time Rakuzan was on offense and Mayuzumi went to shoot he reached for him.

“Chihiro don’t!” But it was too late. Mayuzumi scored another basket and the crowd cheered loudly.

* * *

 

“Wow, I thought that Mayuzumi was just an average player but he’s really showing off his skills!” Someone behind Himuro commented.

And then Himuro understood what was happening. He was surprised when they put Kuroko back into the game, unsure of what he could do for the team. But now… Himuro could follow Mayuzumi on the court and he would lose track of Kuroko among the other players.

Kagami caught a pass from Kuroko and dunked the ball.

“He can use his misdirection again.” Wei Lui commented.

“Yeah… by letting Mayuzumi score those points, that only made him stand out to everyone.” Murasakibara said. “And now Kuro-chin is back in the shadows.”

It didn’t surprise Himuro that Murasakibara had also caught on. As much as he said that he hated basketball, he could always figure out what the teams were planning during the game. And he also thoroughly explained Akashi’s emperor eye to everyone.

Mayuzumi tried to shoot a basket, but it was short and Kiyoshi got the rebound.

As Akashi marked Kagami, Himuro noticed something different about her stance as she waited for a pass.

“She is the zone?” Himuro commented to no one in particular.

Murasakibara nodded.

“This should be good.” Okamura grinned. “Now we can see how Akashi will do against someone in the zone.”

Himuro had to agree. So far Akashi had been unstoppable. It would be interesting to see if he could handle Kagami’s zone.

* * *

 

There was still a huge point gap between the teams but with Kuroko’s low presence returning, they may have a chance to catch up. But that point gap had to close now and there was only one way she could think to do that... but it was still so early.

Everything was blocked out, all she focused on was Akashi. He knew she was in the zone. The next time Rakuzan was on offense and he had the ball, he kept a good distance away from her. But it didn’t matter. She could easily run to block him when he got close.

Akashi seemed to think the same because he passed to Mayuzumi. Kagami ran to him just as he was shooting the ball. She jumped and touched it just enough that it was thrown off it’s course. It hit the rim and Kiyoshi jumped up and got the rebound.

* * *

 

Aomine folded his arms. “I can’t believe she went into the zone this early.” He said out loud. “She’s going to burn herself out before next quarter.”

“I don’t think she had much of a choice Dai-chan.” Momoi said.

A part of him agreed. Seirin was very far behind and now that Kagami was in the zone, the point gap was closing. But there would be much of a point if it just widened again in the fourth quarter.

Rakuzan called a time out.

“Do you think they’re taking Mayuzumi out of the game?” Wakamatsu asked. “Right now he’s kind of useless.”

“Who knows.” Aomine shrugged. Any other team would have subbed him out, but it wouldn’t be unheard of for Akashi to find another use for him.

Kagami was sitting on the bench drinking water. If anyone tried to talk to her she wouldn’t hear them. Her eyes were blank as she stared forward. He knew exactly what she was feeling.

The time out ended and both teams were back on the court, Mayuzumi included. His shoulders her hunched over and he did not look the least bit happy.

“I wonder what they’re planning to do with him now.” Imayoshi grinned, getting some kind of sick pleasure out of it.

“Maybe misdirection overflow?” Momoi suggested.

That was probably it. Akashi would know how it worked and how to use it. It was the only reason Aomine could think to keep Mayuzumi on the court.

But Rakuzan didn’t use him for misdirection over flow… Akashi had other plans. And then Aomine understood. Mayuzumi was on the court to redirect Kagami’s attention.

Aomine sighed wondering why anyone would ever agree to being used that way.

* * *

 

Kise watched the game, smiling now that Kuroko was back on the court and that he could use misdirection again. They had gotten a brief before going into the gym for third quarter that Kuroko no longer had a low presence and was no longer of use to Seirin.

Next to Kise Kasamatsu groaned. “That’s almost too cruel.” He said referring to Mayuzumi and Akashi. “They should just put in a reserve player.”

It had taken Kise a moment to realize what was going on. And he agreed. He wasn’t even sure if Akashi needed a distraction, even with Kagami in the zone. If just used his ankle break, that would probably take her out of it.

But now Izuki was facing off against Hayama.

“That dribble is going to be trouble.” He said watching Hayama dribble faster than anyone could see.

Izuki tried to steal but missed. And then Hayama ran, and Izuki couldn’t keep up as he chased after him.

Then Kise focused on Kagami. She was still marking Akashi and surprising to Kise, Akashi was being cautious around her, more so than expected… no he was observing her. Probably figuring out a way to get by her zone.

He had trouble finding Kuroko and only managed to spot him when he found Mayuzumi. Kuroko was still marking him even though Mayuzumi was downgraded to a distraction.

Then he started to wonder how Kaijo would have done against Rakuzan. Akashi could easily ankle break him, even when he used his perfect copy, but if he just kept his distance…

Kasamatsu tapped him on the shoulder. “Hey… next year do you think you can beat them?” He was referring to Seirin. The only reason they lost the semifinals was because of Kagami and Kuroko coordinating together.

“Yeah.” Kise smiled. “Kaijo will win for sure next time.”

“If she were your girlfriend… could you play seriously against her?” Kasamatsu continued.

“I did last night.” Kise said. “And she’d know if I didn’t… and would probably break up with me.” He laughed knowing full that was exactly what Kagami would do.

“Good.” Kasamatsu said.

“Are you giving him permission to date her?” Moriyama asked.

“I’m retired from the basketball club.” Kasamatsu said with a hint of sadness in his voice. “He can do whatever he wants. But…” He looked at Hayakawa. “If you want to win, don’t let him get too distracted.”

Hayakawa frowned. “Right… Kise no dating the enemy!”

“What!” He was hoping that Hayakawa would be more lenient and relaxed than Kasamatsu.

“I remember that practice game we played against Seirin. You were flirting with her the entire time and that’s why we lost!”

He laughed quietly. “She was just so cute and she likes basketball… I thought she’d want to go on a date with me… every girl does…”

“Yeah she is…” Kasamatsu said.

“And I am glad she crushed your huge ego.” Hayakawa mumbled. “You really just assume that every girl wants to date you!”

“He does get all that attention.” Moriyama said sticking out his lower lip. “More than I’ll ever get.”

“But as far as Kagami goes… I have two rivals… Midorimacchi and Aominecchi.” He finished grinning. “I’m sorry but I have to stay in the competition.”

“You seem way too excited about that.” Moriyama commented. “Are you convinced that you’re going to win?”

He shrugged. Kise really didn’t know what Kagami wanted.

Back on the court, Izuki tried to use his eagle spear against Hayama. He missed but Kuroko ran to block him. Hayama easily maneuvered around him but while he was doing that, Izuki reached back again and hit the ball out of his hands.

* * *

 

She ran back to offense, passing Mayuzumi and gave him a quick pat on the shoulder. She felt bad for him, the way he was being used. Like Kuroko, he had found a style that worked for him and now it was rendered useless at the finals.

It was also his third year. This would be the last game that he played in high school, possibly ever.

She ran from him in time to receive Kuroko’s pass under that basket, and she jumped and dunked the ball.

* * *

 

Midorima adjusted his glasses. He wouldn’t let the others know, but he was happy that Kuroko got his low presence back.

“Wow, with Kuroko on the court, Seirin is really making a come back.” Takao said.

Midorima nodded. He thought Seirin was done for. But now… there was an eighteen-point difference and still enough time to pull ahead.

“And Kagami is really holding up against Akashi.” Takao said and then stuck out his lower lip. “Better than I could.”

That was true, but he still hadn’t used his ankle break against her. Maybe he had earlier in the game, but so far in the second half he hadn’t.

Currently Koganei was in a battle with Mibuchi. He was short and couldn’t jump high enough to block his shots. If Seirin wasn’t counter scoring the point gap would widen very fast. But they really needed Hyuga.

And then Kagami had the ball. In the zone she easily ran by Hayama and dunked, right in front of Shutoku.

Midorima smiled as he watched.

“You liked that Midorima.” Otsubo threw his arm around his shoulder and grinned.

“I’m, just happy for Seirin.” He frowned. Why couldn’t his team just leave him alone when it came to Kagami. It was all Takao’s fault really. He had to open his mouth after that very first game they played against Seirin. And Midorima hadn’t heard the end of it all year. He couldn’t even take solace in the fact that three of the regulars were graduating that year. The reserve players also knew and joined in.

“Hey, what’s Leo’s lucky item for today?” Miyaji asked.

“A romance novel.” He said without thinking.

“Oh, so that’s why you had that in your bag.” Takao winked. “That’s cute, you brought Kagami’s lucky item to the finals.”

He blushed. “No I…” But there was no point in denying it. He had absolutely no reason to be carrying around a romance novel.

“Don’t feel bad Midorima.” Kimura smiled. “Girls like that kind of stuff. And this gives you much better chance against Akashi and Kise.”

He covered up his face. That may be so, but there was no way he was going to tell her that he had her lucky item.

* * *

 

Riko sighed as Koganei did his best to block Mibuchi’s shot. He barely touched the ball and it looked like it might miss. But once it bounced off the rim, Nebuya jumped up and dunked, still getting Rakuzan two points.

She put her hand over her forehead.

“After watching him,” Hyuga spoke. “I think I know how to stop void.”

Riko looked at Hyuga.

“Next quarter, put me back into the game.”

She wanted to wait till the last few minutes, but by then it may be too late. And if Hyuga thought he could stop Mibuchi, she had to take that chance.

The buzzer went off signaling the end of third quarter.

“Alright, I’ll put you in next quarter.” She paused. “But… please don’t foul out.”

“I promise won’t.” Hyuga said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... so my heart breaks for Mayuzumi when he becomes nothing more than a distraction. So I had Kagami do something nice for him. Basically saying "yeah you're captain is an asshole but don't give up". 
> 
> I don't know who all Murasakibara uses -chin with... I wasn't sure if he did it with people he didn't know? I didn't have him use it with Mayuzumi.
> 
> Kagami... is a bit dense. I think Akashi could hand her a a bouquet of a dozen roses and she'd still be like "Hmm... what could this possibly mean?"  
> Akashi was being a little cryptic with her. He said that he won't crush her will to play... but in reality, he knows that even if he wanted to, he knows that he can't. The girl spent an entire game being assaulted on the court. Akashi also won't get into battle he knows he can't win.
> 
> He also really wants her on Rakuzan's team... he wants her on the winning team.
> 
> Next chapter all the exciting stuff finally happens and the real Akashi will finally return. (or is the real Akashi a combination of the two?) This is a very long game. If the fourth chapter ends up being extremely long, I'll split it into two chapters. I don't think that will be necessary. I could be posting in the extra stories next, I have a few fics in mind for fathers day. Basically I really like imagining the GOM as dads. They'll likely be very short, and maybe all in one chapter. But right now I need to get some sleep.


	49. Seirin vs Rakuzan Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this game is done! I am so happy! By far the hardest one to write. Last game i have to write... until Last Game lol

Kagami eyed the scoreboard. There was a twenty-point difference between Rakuzan and Seirin. There was ten minutes left of the game, enough time to catch up.

Hyuga had just given the team a pep talk. Though he had four fouls, he was going back onto the court at the start of fourth quarter. After watching Koganei, he claimed that he had found a way to stop all of Mibuchi’s shots.

And that was what they needed to do, stop Rakuzan from scoring… easier said than done.

Hyuga was shaking. And it was understandable. One mistake and he was out of the game.

He begged Riko to get his hands to stop. So she hit him hard on the back, and his hands stopped.

It was almost time to go back onto the court. Kagami looked at Kuroko.

“Ready?” All she wanted was his reassurance. Although she knew a twenty-point difference was doable, she wasn’t as confident as she’d like to be.

Kuroko smiled and nodded. “We’re going to win.”

That was all she needed.

As they walked back onto the court for fourth quarter, everyone seemed shocked that Hyuga was going to play. Under normal circumstances, it would have made far more sense to save him for the very end.

Kagami went to mark Akashi. She had to win. Not just the game, but she had to somehow beat him whether that be scoring against him, blocking him, whatever. She wouldn’t be satisfied winning the winter cup otherwise.

But he still didn’t seem the least bit concerned with her. If anything, she figured he saw her as nothing but an annoyance he just had to get past.

Fourth quarter started up, Rakuzan had the ball. It was passed to Mibuchi and Hyuga ran to mark him. Kagami held her breath, praying that he didn’t foul out right there.

Mibuchi got ready to shoot, Hyuga waited, analyzing his stance, Kagami thought it was earth. And as Mibuchi went to shoot, Hyuga jumped up and blocked the ball, no fouls.

She cheered and then went back into the zone. If Seirin was going to win, she was going to have to play all out from the start and possibly push beyond her zone time limit.

Izuki passed Kiyoshi the ball as he crossed the three-point line. Kagami guarded Nebuya which allowed Kiyoshi to pass and he jumped up and dunked hard into the basket.

“Hey don’t you care about your knee!” Nebuya yelled likely frustrated that he had scored so easily.

Kagami had to agree somewhat. Kiyoshi did land pretty hard.

Kiyoshi smiled at Nebuya. “This is my last game, I want to play all out for my team. But thanks for caring.”

Kagami held her head down and ran back to defense. This really would be the last game she’d ever play with Kiyoshi.

 The ball was given back to Mibuchi. Hyuga went to mark him, analyzing his stance once again.

Mibuchi started void, Kagami watched. This was the one that stopped the blocker from jumping. But Hyuga waited and jumped a little later. He reached up and hit the ball out of the air to Izuki.

Everyone on Rakzuan gasped. Even Akashi looked a little surprised, but that soon changed to annoyance. He barely paid attention to Kagami as she ran back to offense.

Izuki passed to Kiyoshi again and he dunked over Nebuya getting Seirin another two points. Kiyoshi was holding nothing back. He was going to play all out until his knee broke.

As they ran back to defense, Kagami noticed that Akashi wasn’t marking her. She turned around and saw him standing under the basket staring at the ground.

She watched, wondering what he was planning and then noticed that the others on Rakuzan looked a little scared.

She scoffed and ran to help Hyuga guard Mibuchi. If Akashi wanted to leave someone on his team open for a double team then fine. But as she approached Mibuchi, Akashi ran by her. She got one look at his eyes and gasped. He was in the zone.

Kagami ran to guard him, but he was much faster than her. Hayama passed him the ball. Izuki and Hyuga also noticed that he was in the zone and ran to double team him.

“Kneel!” He said, and both fell to their knees.

Kagami just about caught up to him and reached for the ball, but he turned away from her and she missed.

He jumped to score. Kiyoshi and Kuroko jumped to block but he threw the ball over them and into the net.

* * *

 

“Dai-chan… is he in the zone?” Momoi asked. Akashi was playing much better than she had ever seen, and the look in his eyes were similar to Kagami’s.

Aomine nodded and didn’t say anything more. Neither of them had known that Akashi could enter the zone, and at that moment, he was much faster than Kagami and his skills far sharper.

Seirin called a time out. Kagami sat on the bench looking annoyed. Even though she was also in the zone, she was no match for him and that had to be frustrating.

“I think his zone is better than yours.” Imayoshi said, grinning at Aomine.

Aomine folded his arms. “It is not.”

“But Kagami’s zone beat yours, and she can’t handle Akashi.”

Aomine groaned.

Momoi did agree with Imayoshi, but not for the same reasons. Akashi’s zone was different from Kagami and Aomine’s. He had his emperor eye, and that alone made him a much tougher opponent.

She glanced at Aomine, unsure if he could beat Akashi while both were in the zone.

* * *

 

Kagami sat, slumped over and drinking her water. Akashi going into the zone… that was annoying, but she was going to beat him even if it killed her. She herself was still in the zone but felt herself sinking deeper and deeper. The lower she went, the more she could focus only on the game. And if she could just get to the bottom then maybe she could overtake Akashi.

 Hyuga said something to her that she barely heard.

She stood up.

“I’ll take on Akashi.” She announced.

“By yourself?” Koganei asked.

She nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll stop him.”

Hyuga sighed. “Fine go ahead.”

“We’re counting on you Kagami.” Kiyoshi smiled at her.

“What you’re all agreeing to this?” Koganei’s eyes widened.

“It’s what we always do during a game. We rely on Kagami to bring us to victory.” Hyuga said standing up.

“Yeah… I really don’t know what else to do.” Riko said putting her hand on her head. “Kagami, go stop him.”

Kuroko looked at her, forcing a smile but looked as though he didn’t think it was a good idea for her to take him on by herself. She gave him a reassuring look, but he still didn’t seem convinced.

The time out ended and they were back out onto the court. She went to mark Akashi, feeling his huge defense sphere as she approached, but she walked right into it without a care.

The ball was passed to her. She dribbled in front of him. The two stared into each other’s eyes, one of his looked like it might be a different color. The look he gave her, as always, made her want to look down, but she didn’t. She wasn’t going to let him intimidate her or at the very least, give him the satisfaction that he was.

She turned away from him to avoid his steal, but he was fast and still managed to reach in and grab the ball from her.

Cursing, she ran after him. Even that deep in the zone he was still much faster than her. She tried to force herself to go even lower, but it was like she stopped, like there was no more. However there seemed to be a door. If she could go through then maybe…

But she didn’t know how to open it and there was someone in front, guarding it.

As she ran, Kagami could feel the exhaustion over taking her. Her zone was reaching it’s time limit. Akashi scored another two points.

Kagami stopped and lowered her head. Even that deep in the zone she couldn’t stop him and she was out of ideas.

Someone put their hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw Kuroko. She gave him an apologetic look.

“Taiga… why don’t you give up?” He said.

“Huh?” She raised her eyebrow. That was the last thing she expected him to say. Everyone on Seirin wanted to win. The upper classmen for Kiyoshi, Kuroko to help Akashi, and her, just to prove to everyone that she could. And even though she was at her limit and winning seemed impossible, she still didn’t want to give up. Akashi should also have a time limit, so he should eventually slow down.

“I don’t mean to give up on the game. You should give up fighting by yourself.” He paused. “I’m your shadow, we can stop Akashi together.”

She relaxed. Kuroko was right, it wasn’t just her that brought Seirin to victory. Kuroko was always there in the shadows supporting her. If she didn’t have him Seirin would have lost to Kaijo, Shutoku, Touou and Yosen.

“Alright, what should we do?” She asked. Kuroko always came up with an idea to stop the generation of miracles.

“Just trust me.” He said. “And play as you have been, we’re going to stop the emperor eye.”

Seirin had the ball. Kuroko followed her keeping near. Akashi marked her so Izuki passed to Kiyoshi. But as Kiyoshi went to dunk, Akashi ran and blocked his shot. If she hadn’t seen it, she never would have believed that a point guard had blocked a center’s dunk.

Akashi held the ball and then dribbled it to the other side of the court. Kagami ran to mark him, focusing only on Akashi and trusting that Kuroko was with her.

Akashi dribbled, looking at them both, but thought nothing of their double team. He started to go one way and Kagami followed, but it was a fake, and he went the other way. Kagami was off balance and had no way to switch directions in time to catch up to him. But Kuroko had gone the opposite way of her. He was right next to Akashi and grabbed the ball away from him mid dribble.

Akashi stood and stared at him as Kuroko passed the ball back to her. She ran to the basket.

Akashi ran after her, much more aggressive than at any other time in the game, and before he could steal she passed the ball to Kuroko. Then she jumped. Kuroko passed to her and she caught it ready to dunk. Akashi jumped to block her, but she was going to score. He was not absolute, Kuroko had stolen the ball from him.

 “Score Kagami!” She heard her teammates from the bench.

“Kagami score!” Hyuga yelled.

She felt the door opening and she could feel herself going through.

Kagami had jumped higher than Akashi, reached past him and slammed the ball into the basket.

Akashi fell to the ground and looked at her as if he couldn’t believe what had happened, and a bit devastated and as though is whole world had been shattered. She would have felt bad for it if it wasn’t for how big a deal that basket was. The crowd cheering was enough to distract her.

But then the door she had opened closed.

* * *

 

Midorima couldn’t believe what he had just seen. He was sure that Akashi would have stopped that dunk. This was the first time he probably ever lost in high school- no his entire life. And of all people to do that, it was Kagami… the girl he had his eyes on, and probably someone he would have only ever seen as second best.

Akashi got up and walked slowly towards the other side of the court, numb. The ball was passed to him. He tried to shoot a basket, but it was a complete air ball and Seirin got the rebound. And later when the ball was passed to him he missed. It rolled out of bounds giving the ball back to Seirin.

Midorima had never seen him like this. Akashi was playing like a child who had just picked up a basketball for the first time. And… despite everything that had happened the previous day, he took no satisfaction in it. In fact, it was very hard to watch that happen to his former teammate.

“Really? That one block?” Takao rolled his eyes.

Midorima lowered his head. “There’s a lot that you don’t know.” He knew a little about Akashi’s home life, and his father’s expectations. Midorima wanted to teach Akashi defeat not to humiliate him, but to show him that he still had value.

There was now a ten-point difference between Seirin and Rakuzan. If Akashi kept playing this way, Seirin would for sure win.

“But is he seriously that fragile?” Otsubo asked. “It was one block! Everyone gets blocked!”

“And it’s affecting the rest of Rakuzan too.” Miyaji pointed out. Then he laughed. “And to think, all we had to do was block him once and we would have won our game yesterday.

Despite getting third place, Shutoku was still sore over the semifinal loss. Everything Akashi said had  hurt.  So much that they all really wanted to see Seirin win and the rest of his team was delighted to watch Akashi struggle.

Seirin kept scoring and soon, there was soon only a two-point difference between the teams.

Nebuya grabbed Akashi by the shirt after a pass from Akashi didn’t make it anywhere near him.

“What the hell is wrong with you! A kid could have passed better than that!”

* * *

 

Akashi barely reacted as Nebuya yelled at him. His thoughts were elsewhere, keeping him out of the game.

Another ball as passed to him and it bounced off his shoulder. He watched as it rolled away and was picked up by Izuki.

Akashi glanced over at Kagami. She was supposed to be good, but not better than him. Yet… he wasn’t block her. Anytime he blocked no one ever got by him. What had happened with her? He replayed that moment over in his head. That look she gave him, her eyes, that look of disbelief followed by satisfaction when she did score… a small part of him found it enjoyable.

He turned and watched Kagami smile as she caught a pass from Kuroko and he had to stop himself from smiling as well.

Somehow… her making that basket made her all the more endearing….

* * *

 

Rakuzan called a time out. Kagami sat down on the bench still on an adrenaline rush. Mitobe passed her some lemons which she happily ate.

“We really can win now.” Riko said beaming. “Just keep it up and we’ll win for sure!”

For the first time during that game, Hyuga looked relaxed and he even smiled at Kiyoshi.

Kagami noticed that Kuroko had his eyes locked on Akashi, and he seemed very concerned. Kagami glanced over. His teammates were scolding him, particularly Mayuzumi, but she couldn’t hear what they were saying.

Akashi was spaced out. A part of her felt sorry for him, yet at the same time, it felt good getting a win against him.

She ate several lemon slices, wanting to get as much extra energy as she could. The game wasn’t over yet, and they still needed to pull ahead in points.

When they went back out onto the court she marked Akashi, wondering if it was still necessary. But as she approached him, there was something off about him, like he was a completely different person.

It was Seirin’s ball and it was passed right to her. But before she even touched it. Akashi had run in front of her and stole it.

“Sorry Kagami.” He said.

Kagami?

Kuroko saw what had happened and ran to help her guard. Akashi stopped in front of him and grinned.

“It’s been awhile hasn’t it Kuroko?”

* * *

 

Himuro blinked. After the time out, Akashi was playing and carrying himself very differently. He passed to Mibuchi who then jumped and scored a flawless three. Next to him Murasakibara had a look of disbelief on his face.

“Is everything okay Atsushi?”

“Those were the passes we used to receive in middle school… the old Akashi is back.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“For him… yes… but not for Seirin.”

Rakuzan was suddenly playing very well, not that mess after Akashi failed to block Kagami. The point gap was once again increasing. He’d even say that this was the best that they had been playing all game.

Mayuzumi gave a pass to Hayama who scored, and Nebuya patted him on the back. They were even treating their shadow well again.

* * *

 

Kuroko breathed. Rakuzan was back in the game and now a much tougher opponent. He wasn’t sure how to feel. He should be happy for Akashi, but… he also wanted to win this game.

Kagami ran over to him.

“Hey Kuroko what happened? If feels like I’m playing against a while different person.”

He knew what she meant, only for him, that wasn’t a stranger… it was his old friend from middle school.

“Um… I think the real Akashi is back… and this one will be a lot tougher than other.” Kagami knew of his two personalities from his Teiko story he had told.

Kagami grinned. “Good.” She ran off to mark him.

Kagami met Akashi at half court with a big smile on her face. And Akashi too… he was finally having fun playing the game again.

Akashi really knew how to make the best of his team. They all played well together… almost too good. They were all in sync with each other and every pass from Akashi ended with a basket.

Kuroko glanced at Rakuzan and nearly gasped. They were all in the zone. Or… they were feeding off Akashi’s zone.

* * *

 

He was in a one on one with Kagami. He had the ball and she was guarding him. He looked for an opening to pass, but she was quick to block him.

It was the first time he noticed how close they would get when marking each other. Their arms were almost touching at times.

Now that he wasn’t so concerned with winning everyone on one, he was having fun. He’d like to play a casual game with her… or his other friends someday.

Akashi finally passed to Hayama.

* * *

 

Kise watched, happy that his former teammate was back to his old self. It had been almost two years…

“Um… are you watching those two?” Kasamatsu asked referring to Kagami and Akashi. The two had been marking each other for most of the second half.

“Yeah, they’re both really good.” Kise said.

Kasamatsu put his hand over his forehead and sighed. “Kise… I think you have another rival.”

His eyes widened. “You mean Akashicchi!” There was no way Kagami was his type. But watching the two… suddenly some of his previous actions made more sense.

Kise sighed. “That explains a lot… and knowing Akashi, he’d be looking for an empress. And if he wants one that plays basketball… who better than Kagami?”

“An empress?” Kobori laughed. “You gotta be kidding me… just who does that guy think he is…” He paused. “But I guess he is very wealthy.”

“Yeah,” Kise looked down at the ground. “I don’t mind competing against Aominecchi or Midorimacchi, but Akashicchi!”

“Don’t you like a challenge?” Kasamatsu eyed him.

“Not one that I know I’ll lose!” Competing against Akashi would be impossible. Anything that he could give her, Akashi could give so much more and better.

“You don’t know that you’re going to lose.” Hayakawa said. “And you’re a model, you have that going for you.”

He nodded. That was true. He’d just have to use his charms to get Kagami. As far as he knew, Akashi had no experience with girls… except for Momoi.

He focused back on the game and started to feel bad for Seirin. They had finally made a comeback only for Rakuzan to once again pull ahead. And there was now only three minutes left on the clock.

Kagami walk near them. She was completely exhausted.

* * *

 

Sweat poured down her face and she was breathing heavily. Her zone had long worn out and she really was at her limit.

Akashi passed to Nebuya. She jumped to block his shot but she didn’t have the strength to get as high as him. With that basket, Rakuzan now had a seven-point lead and there was less than two minutes on the clock.

She walked back to offense, her legs weak. She just wanted to fall to her knees.  Then she glanced over at Kuroko. One look at Kuroko told her that he knew what was going on and she forced herself to keep moving.

The rest of Seirin was also exhausted. Hyuga was unable to block Mibuchi, Kiyoshi, his knee was in so much pain and he couldn’t jump high enough to dunk or guard Nebuya. And Izuki was at his limit. He could no longer keep up with Hayama.

Kuroko tried to assist Izuki with Hayama using his pseudo emperor eye, but, while he stopped him, he fouled, which was only going to give Rakuzan two more points.

Kuroko frowned, angry at his mistake. Kagami forced herself to walk over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. Those few steps were painful and there was no way she was going to last two more minutes. Rakuzan was going to win. But… at least it was a good game.

* * *

 

Aomine sighed. He knew Kagami was way past her limit and was about to accept that Seirin was going to lose.

But that wasn’t like her. During their game, when he had gone into the zone, she had found a way to follow him in. And Kuroko, he never gave it up. It was his goal to beat all of the generation of miracles and so far, four of them had lost to him… he shouldn’t stop at Akashi.

And Seirin… even during that first game they played against Touou, when there was no way that they could win, they never once gave up.

No this wasn’t them at all.

“I can’t stand this.” He said and stood up.

“Dai-chan?’ Momoi watched.

“Hey Tetsu! Kagami! What are you two doing! If you beat can us you can beat Rakuzan!” He yelled.

* * *

 

Kagami raised her head and looked up at the stands. It was one of the last voices she thought she hear cheering them on. After all, he didn’t seem like the type to yell in a stadium full of people.

“Aomine?” She said looking in the general direction of where she heard his voice.

“Aomine-kun?” Kuroko said wide eyed. His eyes started to well up.

“Yeah don’t give up Seirin!” Kise yelled. “Go win!”

“Go beat Rakzuan for us!” Midorima yelled from the sidelines. “And Akashi!”

* * *

 

Himuro eyed his friend. “Aren’t you going to join in?”

Murasakibara’s face got red. “I already told them to win earlier.”

“But they could really use it again now.”

Murasakibara groaned. “Win Seirin.” He said barely above his speaking voice and then his face got even redder.

Himuro laughed and stood up. “Seirin! Atsushi also says to go win! And I do too! So don’t give up!”

* * *

 

Kagami stared in Himuro’s direction and smiled. And it was her turn for her eyes to well up. She had been hoping to hear his voice when the other three started cheering. Mursakibara’s too but she was fine with Himuro doing the cheering for him. 

Kuroko stared in disbelief that four of his former teammates still believed that Seirin could still win and wanted them to. 

 And then the entire stadium started to cheer.

“Go win Tai-chan!” She heard Momoi.

“Win Seirin!”

“You can do it Kagami!”  A girl’s voice yelled.

“Kuroko!”

“Seirin! Seirin! Seirin!”

“Well this only makes things more interesting.” Akashi said more amused than anything by the cheering.

Kagami started to feel as though she were gaining energy. It was much different from when people cheered against her… like she wanted to win because she enjoyed the game, not to prove anything. And then she could feel that door opening once again.

“Don’t give up Kuroko!” Another voice yelled.

Kuroko looked up and his eyes widened. “Ogiwara-kun?”

The boy smiled and held up a basketball. And then pulled another one closer to him.

“Hey is that him?” Kagami asked remembering his elementary school friend from the story.

Kuroko nodded and wiped his eyes “After what I-“

“Well I think he’s forgiven you.” Kagami said. She never thought any of it was Kuroko’s fault. He wasn’t there when his friends came up with that idea nor did he execute it.

“And…” She continued. “I think I know what to do… Izuki after they make their two baskets, give me the ball.”

* * *

 

The door opened up. She saw Kuroko and inside the rest of her team, like they were all a part of her.

Akashi managed to steal from Izuki and passed to Hayama. Kagami ran after him determined not to let him score. She glanced at Hyuga, indicating what she wanted him to do. As Hayama went to dunk, she jumped to block him. He had already anticipated what she would do and did a double clutch, but Hyuga was there on the other side of him and practically took the ball out of his hands.

Hyuga passed the ball back to her. As she took it down the court, Akashi was there waiting. But instead of taking him on, she glanced at Kiyoshi, passed to him, ran past Akashi and jumped ready for his pass. She didn’t have to look, only reach up to catch the ball and then dunk.

* * *

 

Aomine knew she had opened the second door. Some how she had managed to get past the man standing guard. But watching her… her play was impressive. She received a pass from Kuroko and didn’t even have to look his direction… he started to laugh figuring out what brought her in to the next level of the zone.

Tears started to roll down his face.

“So it was you along Tetsu…” If he hadn’t tossed him away back in middle school, he might have been able to reach the true zone. But his current play style would never let that happen… there was going to have to be some changes if he ever wanted to beat Seirin.

“Dai-chan!”

“If I was on the court, I don’t think I’d be able to keep up with them.” He meant it too. He couldn’t take his eyes off Kagami as she coordinated with her teammates using only seconds of eye contact.

“Seirin really is a good team.” Momoi said smiling.

“Yeah I can see why you really like Kagami.” Imayoshi grinned.

Aomine scoffed. “Shut up and don’t ruin this.”

“No, I’m serious, I really think she was made for you.”

* * *

 

Once again Seirin was catching up. It was the first time Akashi had ever been overwhelmed by another team. Kagami and Kuroko really were amazing as was the rest of Seirin. But he still wanted to win, and to do that, Kagami needed to be stopped. To do that, he was going to have to do something he really didn’t want to do.

When the ball was passed to him he approached her, dribbling slowly. Then he did his crossover. She followed, lost balance and fell to the ground.

“I’m sorry, but that was the only way I could stop you.” He said.

She looked back up at him, completely out of the zone. And then he shot the ball, scoring two more points.

“You are really good and you’ve exceeded all my expectations.” He said. “But Seirin is about a hundred years to early to beat us.”

The score was now 105 to 98 with forty seconds left on the clock.

* * *

 

Midorima cringed. He really didn’t like watching Akashi ankle break Kagami. But, it really was his only option. Not even he was a match for her direct drive zone.

Takao sighed. “Seirin is done for now.”

Midorima shook his head. “No Akashi just said the worst thing he could have to Kagami.” Telling Kagami that she couldn’t do something always set something off in her. He had no doubt Seirin was going to win.

The next play started up. Izuki had the ball and was about to pass to Kagami, but she was being guarded by Akashi. Instead he threw it to Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi looked up to dunk the ball but Nebuya had him blocked so he passed to Hyuga. Hyuga wasn’t going to score with Mibuchi blocking him.

With thirty seconds left, Kuroko ran by and Hyuga passed the ball to him.

 “Get a mark on him!” Akashi ordered and started to run over to do it himself.

Kuroko passed to Kagami. Mayuzumi and Hayama went to block her but she jumped higher than both of them and scored a three.

Takao jumped up and cheered and Midorima smiled. As Rakuzan had the ball, everyone on the court was on high alert. If Rakuzan got one more basket, Seirin really would be done for.

 But Izuki was standing completely still, concentrating. And as Nebuya tried to pass to Mibuchi, he reached out and intercepted the ball.

* * *

 

Kagami blinked after Izuki’s steal. She had planned to rush Mibuchi to get the ball away from him. But Izuki had stolen it using a way that wouldn’t risk a foul.

Seirin needed five points to win and with less than thirty seconds left, that was going to be tough to pull off.

She tried to run from Akashi to receive his pass, but he kept on her. Instead, Izuki passed to Hyuga. Hyuga stood ready to shoot, but he waited until Mibuchi was there to guard him, and then he went to shoot. Mibuchi jumped and Hyuga purposefully delayed his jump. When he did, the two bumped into each other. Hyuga then shot the ball.

Kagami held her breath as it flew through the air. It hit the rim, spun around, and then fell in the basket.

The ref blew the whistle.

“Foul White! Basket counts!”

The crowd cheered loudly. It was now 104 to 105. If Hyuga made his free throw, they would tie and go into overtime. With Kiyoshi in pain and the rest of the team at their limit, they had to win now. Hyuga had to miss that free throw.

She walked over to the free throw line, her stomach churning. They all had to be perfect for this to work.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get the rebound.” Kiyoshi said.

“I can help.” Kagami said. “You’re knee..” His leg was practically trembling.

“Rebounding is my job.” Kiyoshi smiled at her. “I’m going to put everything into this play…. Hyuga, just don’t accidently make the free throw.”

“I don’t want to hear that from you!”

“Come on everyone.” Kiyoshi gestured them to their positions. “This is the last play, let’s have some fun.”

They lined up and Hyuga dribbled slowly. Rakuzan was fully aware what they were doing and were planning to get the ball and probably hold it for the last five seconds of the game.

Kagami glanced at both Hyuga and Kiyoshi. She couldn’t figure out why but the two seemed a bit somber. Hyuga also seemed to be fighting back tears, but maybe he was just nervous.

Hyuga took a deep breath and threw the ball. The entire stadium seemed to go quiet.

It bounced off the rim. Kiyoshi and Nebuya jumped up to get the rebound. Kiyoshi must have put his last remaining strength into that jump because he got to the ball first and held it as he landed.

Akashi was still on her, there was no way she could get the last basket. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kuroko run from Mayuzumi and Mayuzumi didn’t notice he had slipped away. But Akashi did. Kiyoshi threw the ball to Kuroko and Akashi ran to block him leaving her unguarded and everyone else was concerned with their own marks to notice. Kuroko eyed her. He wasn’t the one that was going to make the basket.

“It’s over Kuroko!” Akashi jumped in front of him.

Kagami started to jump, ready to receive the pass.

“No… I haven’t lost…” Kuroko smiled. “because I am the shadow.” Kuroko threw the ball up high, past Akashi.

Kagami caught it and slammed it into the basket. The buzzer went off and the crowd erupted into cheers.

It took Kagami a moment to process what had happened. They had won. She practically screamed as she cheered, barely hearing them announce that Seirin was the winner. So did Kuroko, something she had never heard him do.

Kagami ran over and threw her arms around Kuroko lifting him up. He didn’t mind, in fact he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. The rest of the team ran onto to the court throwing their arms around everyone.

When she put Kuroko down, she threw her arms around Riko.

“That last play!” Was all Riko could get out.

Then Kiyoshi hugged her and then… she wasn’t sure who was next.

Akashi walked slowly over to Kuroko. Kagami watched, checking to see that everything was okay. If not being able stop her block set him off, she had no idea what losing a game would do.

There were tears in Akashi’s eyes, but he was smiling.

“Congratulations, it’s your- no it’s your team’s win.” He said shaking Kuroko’s hand.

“We’ll play again.” Kuroko smiled putting his other hand over Akashi’s.

Kagami took a few steps towards them and Akashi approached her next.

“You really are remarkable Kagami.” He said. “I’m glad I got to play against you.” He reached out to shake her hand.

It must have been the adrenaline, because she threw her arms around him. He tensed up, but then relaxed. “Me too, Rakuzan really was the toughest team I’ve ever played.”

The rest of Rakuzan watched, frozen in place and a little nervous. But once they saw Akashi hug her back they calmed down.

“Seriously, I can’t believe you did that to Akashi?” Hyuga said with his hand over his forehead.

“Huh? What?” She blinked.

He sighed and then went to shake Akash’s hand.

When she let him go, she was pretty much tackled by Kise. “Nice game Kagamicchi!” he said holding her. Then Takao threw his arms around her while Kise still had her.

“Kagami!” He said.

When they let go, Kise went to search for Kuroko. Kagami turned. Behind her was Midorima. He adjusted his glasses before he spoke.

“Congratulations on your win.” He said.

“Come on give her hug!” Otsubo pushed him into her.

He stumbled forward and she caught him, and he held on to her to keep from falling. When he let her go his face was red.

“Don’t feel bad Midorima, you have great taste.” Kimura grinned patting him on the back.

The four teams then lined up for the trophy presentation. First Kaijo, then Shutoku, Rakuzan, and finally Seirin. Hyuga held the giant first place trophy looking as though he were about to cry. He walked back to his team and gestured for Kiyoshi to hold it with him.

* * *

 

After the trophy ceremony, families started to walk onto the court to congratulate their kids. Mitobe had all eleven of his siblings and his parents in one group hug, and Koganei’s sister had him, ruffling his hair.

Kagami threw her arms around Alex and held her for a long time.  

After they parted, Alex gave Kuroko a hug.

And then Himuro threw his arms around her. “You did it Taiga.”

Murasakibara stood behind him with his arms folded.

“Hey Alex, we’re going to celebrate, can you get us some beer?” Kagami asked.

“Kagami no!” Riko answered before her.

“Aw lighten up Riko, it’s what everyone in an American high school does after they win a championship.” Kagami said and then looked at Alex.

Alex shook her head. “Sorry Taiga, I’m not getting any alcohol.”

“What…” Kagami blinked. “But I though you were the cool adult…” She stuck out her lower lip.

“I’m not that cool.” She grinned. Kagami looked past her and saw Masako giving Alex a “Don’t even think about it” look.

“But you said that you got really drunk after your high school won the state championship…”

“Yeah… forget I ever told you that.” Alex gave a nervous laugh.

“Give it up Taiga.” Himuro said.

She turned to him. “Well we’re not getting drunk but you’re coming to celebrate with us right?”

“Yeah I’ll be there.” He said.

“Murasakibara?” She eyed him.

“Yeah fine.” He replied doing his best to look disinterested.

She grinned and hugged him, still on the high from her win. “I’m glad you’re coming!”

“Kaga-chin!” Murasakibara blushed.

“Get used to it Atsushi, she’s a hugger.” Himuro laughed.

“Rakuzan… Kaijo… Shutoku… you’ll celebrate with us?” Kiyoshi asked. Hyuga’s jaw dropped. “A party is more fun with more people.”

“Well fine, this is your last game.” Hyuga folded his arms.

“Yeah we’ll go!” Kise said, his arms around Kuroko.

“Don’t answer for us!” Kasamatsu scolded. “But yes, Kaijo will celebrate with you.”

“Shutoku will go too.” Otsubo said.

“And we would like to join you as well.” Akashi said. “I’ll pay for everyone.”

Riko blinked. “That’s going to be very expensive. You don’t have to pay for all of us.”

“It’s not a problem for me.” Akashi said. “It’s my of way of congratulating you on your win.” He turned to face Kuroko. “Kuroko, you should invite Aomine and Momoi, I’m sure you want them there.”

Kuroko nodded and got out his phone.

Masako looked at Eiji, Nakatani and Takeuchi. “I guess I’m going to help you chaperone.” She said. The other three looked grateful.

“Me too.” Alex grinned wrapping her arm around Masako. Masako blushed a little.

“Oh.” Takeuchi blinked. “And who are you?”

“Alexandra Garcia.” Alex reached out her hand and he shook it, but he kept staring at Alex, particularly below her face.

Masako wrapped her arm around Alex’s waist and pulled her closer and then glared at Takeuchi.... who took the hint.

“But I wonder if her father” she pointed to Riko, “and Harasawa will be joining us?”

As if on cue, Kagetora arrived on the court and picked up his daughter, congratulating her.

“Riko I’m so proud of you!” He tossed her up into the air and she laughed.

“We’re going to spend an hour looking at all his recent pictures of her.” Takeuchi sighed.

* * *

 

They went to a nicer restaurant than they had initially planned, but it was still fairly casual, and no one had to go home to change clothes.

The four teams had taken over the entire restaurant. Every seat was filled, and the staff looked a little flustered when they first arrived. But once they learned that Akashi Seijuro was there and paying, they quickly made room for everyone that was joining the celebration.

The coaches plus Kagetora and Alex all sat at their own table, only half paying attention to their teams. Harasawa did join them after an invite from Momoi.

Kagami had gone well beyond her limit during the game and was starving. She ordered a huge plate of food. It was time to fill up. The others, not from Seirin, watched wide eyed as she ate.

“Kagami you’ll never eat more than me!” Nebuya declared and started to dig in to his huge plate of food.

“And here I was happy that not everyone in the league was a boy.” Mibuchi sighed and started to eat his much smaller plate of food. Then he eyed Nebuya. “And were you seriously trying to make this a contest!”

“You can have as much as you want Kagami.” Akashi said. “You really pushed yourself today.”

“Rakuzan… why are all of you sitting next to Kagami!” Hyuga demanded. “She’s our teammate!”

“Let it go Hyuga, she doesn’t seem to mind.” Kiyoshi patted his shoulder.

But it was true. On either side of her sat Akashi and Mibuchi. Across were Nebuya and Hayama, and next to Hayama was Mayuzumi, who seemed disinterested in everything that was going on.

Kise managed to get a seat next to Kuroko, looked at Kagami’s plate, and sighed. “Akashicchi really is the only one who can afford a meal for Kagami.” He said.

Himuro sat next to Murasakibara on the other side of Mibuchi. In front of them were three desserts that Murasakibara was eating.

“You really should eat something other than sugar.” Midorima folded his arms and scolded his friend.

“Shut up Mido-chin.” Murasakibara said and stuffed cake in his mouth.

After she finished dinner, so many people from other teams wanted to talk to her. She was surrounded by upper classmen from Kaijo, Shutoku, Yosen, and Touou.

“Kagami, those last few plays were amazing.” Okamura ruffled her hair. Then he gave her a big smile.

Mibuchi reached over and patted her hair down. Kagami didn’t even want to know the state of it.

“Yeah no wonder all the miracles like you.” Imayoshi continued.

“Huh?” Kagami blinked looking at him. All the miracles?

“Hey who invited you guys?” Kasamatsu eyed Touou and Yosen.

“We came with Aomine and Momoi, Akashi doesn’t seem to mind.” Imayoshi shrugged.

“And our coach is here,” Okamura said. “How else were we supposed to get dinner?”

“You’re a third year! You should be able to feed yourself!” Kasamatsu scolded.

Both Touou and Yosen’s regular players joined the party. Akashi didn’t mind, in fact, in seemed like expected them.

Wakamatsu moved closer to her. “Congratulations on your win Kagami… and I hope we’re not crashing your party.”

“So now your concerned about that?” She smirked at him referring to the hot spring. “But no, you’re not, we’re glad you’re here.”

He smiled and laughed quietly.

“You know,” He continued. “I couldn’t believe it when Touou lost to Seirin… I didn’t think you’d get much further in the Winter Cup, and then you go and with the whole thing... we’re going to have to watch out for you next year.”

She nodded. “Hey we almost lost to you. And we’re losing Kiyoshi, so I may be marking you next time we play.”

His eyes widened. “You can play center?”

She nodded. “Do you have any idea how much taller I was than everyone else on my team when I played with the girls? I was always the center.”

“Oh right… how did anyone ever score against you?”

“They didn’t… or they had to shoot the ball before I got to that end of the court.” She said.

“So you were like them in middle school.” He gestured towards Aomine and Kise, but mean all of the generation of miracles.

“I guess you could say that.” She said. “But I will probably be marking you next year.”

He grinned at her. “Do you think you can get past me?”

“Yeah of course.” She smiled and she must have still been on the high from winning because she gave him a hug. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Aomine glaring at them. When the hug ended, Wakamatsu scoffed at him.

Otsubo got her attention and she walked over to where most of the players from Shutoku were hanging out.

“Kagami,” He started. “Every year there’s an end of the year party for all the graduating seniors.” He began. “I know Seirin doesn’t have any third years but…” He glanced over at Kiyoshi who was talking to Kobori and Nebuya. “If Kiyoshi has to retire, he really should be there. And it would be a shame if we didn’t have the winners of the Winter Cup.”

She nodded. “I’ll talk to the team.” Kagami wanted to go. There were a lot of third years she would miss next year.

Kagami looked around for Kuroko. She found Momoi first who had her arms around him. The two of them were talking to Aomine and Kise.

Then she glanced over at Midorima and Takao.

“Hey I didn’t congratulate you guys on third.” she said. Earlier she had been so happy to win that she completely forgot that Shutoku had also won that day.

“Aw thanks Kagami.” Takao grinned and then eyed Midorima.

Midorima adjusted his glasses. “Thank you… but it’s not as good as first.”

“But you still won.”

“Only because Kise-“

“Shin-chan just be happy for once!” Takao yelled and then sighed.

Kagami glanced at the chair next to him where his bag sat. She smiled when she saw that the bow she had made him during the summer camp was still tied to the strap. But the bag was open a little and she peaked inside.

“Midorima do you read romance novels?” That wasn’t a genre she thought he would read.

His face went red. “Um no… we have to read that for school.”

“Huh?” She tilted her head. What school required their students to read a romance novel?

“Kagami it’s Leo’s lucky item.” Miyaji said and then laughed.

She blinked and then looked at Midorima. “You brought my lucky item?”

Midorima glared at Miyaji, his face very red now.

“I’m only helping you out.” Miyaji shrugged.

“Don’t worry I think it’s sweet.” Kagami reached out for him.

 Midorima looked down at the ground and groaned. Next to her Takao and the rest of Shutoku laughed.

“Hey is that how your trying to win this!” Aomine marched over interrupting them.

“Win what?” Midorima adjusted his glasses.

“Just know that I let her borrow my shoes.” Aomine said sticking his face in Midorima’s. “Those helped her more than a lucky item.” Then he turned to her. “They did right Kagami?”

She nodded. Touou had arrived later than everyone else. This was the first time she had spoken to Aomine that day. “Yes they were very comfortable.”

Then Momoi gave her a tackle hug nearly knocking her to the ground.

“I’m so happy Seirin won!” She cried out. “I knew you could do it!” Once Kagami steadied herself she hugged back.

“Really Satsuki?” Aomine folded her arms.

“Dai-chan you can come in here too!” She grabbed his jacket. He started to resist but she pulled him into the hug.

“I want in!” Kise said and threw his arm around them.

“Me too!” Takao joined.

“Alright this is enough!” Aomine said sounding annoyed, but he did have his arm around her… low on her waist.

When they broke apart, Kise grinned at her.

“You and Kurokocchi really are amazing together… no wonder he wouldn’t go to Kaijo with me.” He sighed.

“Kaijo probably would have won if he was on your team.” She knew it was true. None of her wins against the generation of miracles would have been possible without Kuroko. With Kise’s perfect copy, the two would have been unstoppable.

Then she spotted Mayuzumi sitting by himself reading a book. He had been keeping to himself most of the party. Kagami walked over. She glanced over at Furihata, who was shaking as he talked to Akashi, but from what she could tell, everything seemed friendly and he was just nervous.

She sat down next to Mayuzumi. Kuroko must have had the same idea because he joined them.

“Hey,” She greeted.

He set his book on the table and looked up, surprised that the two were sitting on either side of him, and for a moment was unsure of what to say.

“Hey Kagami, Kuroko… congratulations on your win.” He finally spoke.

“Thank you.” She said. “You played a good game too.”

He shrugged.

“What are you reading?”

“It’s a light novel.” He showed her the cover. It had a cute girl surrounded by roses. The only thing that she could get from that was that it may be a romance.

“Um… are you enjoying the party?” She thought it was odd that he would sit by himself and read. Everyone else was up and talking to each other.

“It’s fine, but I usually don’t go to these things.”

“Oh okay…” She wasn’t sure what to say next. Mayuzumi… he was far harder to talk to than even Kuroko at the beginning of the year.

“Mayuzumi, you really did play a good game.” Kuroko said. “You almost had us.”

He nodded. “But in the end, you were the better shadow.”

“Hey you’re good too.” She patted him on the back. “And you’ll play in college, right?”

He shook his head and sighed. “No that was my last game.”

“Really?” She tilted her head. “But you were a regular on a nationally ranked team.” She was sure that some college would have recruited him.

“I only got to play because of Akashi. I don’t think any other team would know how to use me... or even noticed that I was on the court.”

“Oh…” She glanced over at Kuroko hoping that he would say something. But Mayuzumi spoke first.

“You’re going to play after high school?” He asked her.

She nodded. “I’m going to play in college and then hopefully for the WNBA.”

“Don’t worry, you will.”

She smiled.

“And when you do, I’ll tell everyone that I once played you in high school.” Mayuzumi then looked at Kuroko. “And you?”

Kuroko nodded. “I want to keep playing for as long as I can.”

Akashi then walked over and sat next to Kuroko.

“I didn’t expect you to be the one to defeat me Kuroko… and Kagami.” He glanced over at her.

“We almost lost.” Kuroko said.

 “Yeah, that ankle break took me out of the zone.” Kagami folded her arms.

“But it was the only way to stop you.” He said looking at her but not quite making eye contact.

“Yeah you had to knock her to the ground.” Mayuzumi mumbled.

Akashi ignored him. “I did have a lot of fun.”

She nodded. This Akashi really was different. No more of those intense eyes that made her want to look away or lower her head. He was a lot softer and kinder.

“You too, you gave me a good game.”

Akashi looked as though he were trying to figure out where to say and Mayuzumi sighed and went back to his book.

“And…” She started unsure if she should bring it up. “Are things going to be okay?”

“It will be, I’m actually relieved… but next time Rakuzan will win.”

Kuroko smiled.

“We’ll see.” She said. “And if you need a place to stay-“

“It will be okay.” He said cutting her off. His eyes got wide and he glanced at Kuroko. Kuroko had told her a little bit about his home life.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder. It was Himuro.

“Kagami, Kuroko, your team wants a group picture.” He pointed to where Seirin was gathered. Kagetora stood in front of them with his camera ready. Hyuga was gesturing for them to join.

* * *

 

Aomine watched Kagetora take the picture of Seirin. Kagami had her arm around Kuroko as she smiled.

He was happy for them, but at the same time, he wished that it was him with Kuroko in that picture. If he hadn’t thrown him away back in middle school, maybe that would have been the two of them. But there was nothing he could do about it now. Kagami had proved that she was the better light for him.

He glanced around at his former teammates. They hadn’t spoken to each other much during that party. Everyone was with their own team if they weren’t congratulating Seirin They had all moved on to new friends, except for maybe him. He didn’t quite get along with anyone from Touou except for Momoi and that would have to change.

He sighed. Things were still awkward between everyone and they all really needed to talk about what happened at Teiko. If only the six of them could just hang out…

But that was near impossible with Akashi and Murasakibara now living in different cities. It would be hard enough to get Murasakibara to make a trip to Tokyo without a good reason.

He glanced over at Kuroko. Even though they were on speaking term again, he still felt like he owed him something after all that happened..

“Hey Satsuki.” He spoke.

“Dai-chan?”

“Tetsu’s birthday is coming up, we should plan something for him…maybe a streetball game with the old team?”

She tilted her head. “You really want to?”

“Yeah… I’m just not good at planning this stuff… I’ll need your help.”

She smiled and nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may have notice, I had Aomine be the one to start the cheering. I always thought it would have meant more to Kuroko if he were the one to start the cheering. And because they have been hanging out more in my fic and he does have feelings for Kagami, I thought it made enough sense for him to start the cheering.
> 
> I always wrote Kagami with more than one trigger for the zone. While the crowd being against her for sexist reasons can bring her into the regular zone, it does hinder her a bit from getting to the true zone. Because when the crowd cheering against her puts her in the zone, she's only thinking of herself to prove everyone wrong, when everyone cheers for her, she can focus more on the game and bringing her team to victory. Could she get there with the crowd cheering against her? Probably. She just has to think in terms of her team.
> 
> I had the teams all go out and celebrate after because I wanted them to party. It also gave me one last chance to write Kagami with some of the secondary characters. I gave her time with Wakamatsu because they will be playing on Vorpal Swords.. and I always thought Wakamatsu had the least connection to the GOM so I figured I'd write him with Kagami.
> 
> Mayuzumi... I really needed to give Kagami some time with him. I feel bad for the guy and was the only one on his team who kept a level head about the Akashi/Kagami situation.
> 
> Kagami went to America, she knows how the jocks party. Riko just be glad she didn't pour a cooler of ice water over your head or TP your house.
> 
> Aomine learned from Kuroko that all the generation of miracles are in love with Kagami, and he's in competition mode. Now that Kagami has met the "real" Akashi, she quite likes him. I didn't get much of a chance to write those two together, but I will when I get around to Last Game.
> 
> Next up is Kuroko's birthday. I may also write some of the end of the year party.


	50. Kuroko's Birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so here is it, the final chapter of this fic. But far from the last thing I plan to write for the Her Shadow series. I will write Last Game, but that will be a separate fic in the series. (And no, Fem Kagami will NOT leave for America I much prefer the manga ending.) 
> 
> It will show more than just the game against Jabberwock because in the movie, I really wanted to watch Kagami bond with the GOM and work out plays with them. (Such a great opportunity for him to interact with Murasakibara and Akashi!) but sadly we really didn't get that. I may even send them to the beach for some training.
> 
> But here you go, a nice fluffy chapter, and possibly the longest one I've written.

_Beginning of the school year_

Kagami walked through the crowd of people, passing several tables advertising their clubs. She’d take a quick glance at them and then move forward. There was only one that she had any interest in.

“Join the book club!” Someone said and put a flyer into her hands.

She barely looked at the flyer. Reading was not one of her hobbies. Anytime she had to read a book for a class, Kagami would just go on line and read the summary.

“Come on, if your Japanese you should play baseball!” Another person said.

A girl ran in front of her and looked at her starry-eyed. “Wow you’re so tall! Please join the volleyball club!”

Kagami stepped away from her and shook her head. “I’m a basketball player.”

She turned and bumped into someone.

“Sorry,” She looked to see who it was but the person was gone.

After checking all the tables twice, the girls team was nowhere to be found. Groaning, she found someone passing out flyers for the boy’s team. Maybe he’d know where they were.

“Hey.” She got the guys attention. He had a face that reminded her of a cat. “Where’s the sign ups for the girl’s team?”

The guy blinked and then looked her up and down, taken aback at how tall she was. “Um… I’m sorry, but Seirin doesn’t have a girls’ basketball club.”

“What…” Her eyes widened. Back at her American school, there was almost always a girls team for every boys team, unless the sport was only for one sex, like football or dance team. As far as she knew, it was required by law there.

“But… you could always start the girls club, I’m sure you’ll find-“

“No that sounds like way too much work.” She folded her arms. All she wanted to do was play the game, not organize the whole team. She’d have to go through the faculty to get permission for the club, then find other club members, a coach, a faculty advisor… no that was way too much work.

She glanced over at the volleyball table. Kagami had played on her American school’s team for a few years, and she’d play beach volleyball with her friends back in Las Angeles. She was fairly decent at the sport and it would be something to do before she moved back to LA with Alex that summer…

She sighed. The sooner she got back home the better. As far as basketball was concerned, there just wasn’t much of a challenge for her here. Her middle school team never would have won nationals if she weren’t on it.

She took a step towards the girl handing out flyers but stopped. She was a basketball player, and she really didn’t want her skill to get rusty because she focused too much of her attention on volleyball.

She turned back to the cat faced guy. Maybe the boys could give her a challenge. She knew of a few girls that played on boys team back in America. But it was rare for that to happen, they had to be very good and… well she thought she was very good.

 “I think I’ll just join your team.” She said to the second year.

“Uh…” his eyes widened. “I don’t know if girls can join…”

“Why not? I’m probably better then everyone else in the club… now take me to your table.”

She was a little more aggressive than she intended but she didn’t want to fight this guy. It was worth a try to at least ask the coach if she could join.

He gulped. “Um okay.”

He led her to the table. She swore there was someone following them, but when she turned around, no one was behind her.

* * *

 

_Present Day_

The month following the Winter Cup had been hectic. In the high school sports world, Kagami was somewhat of a celebrity. She was after all, the ace of the Winter Cup champions and on the boys team. But what was more impressive and something that nobody foresaw, was that the generation of miracles were all defeated by a girl.

Students recognized her in the streets. Not that she was hard to miss, her red hair and her height really made her stick out. But many people would stop and ask for a selfie, most being other girls that were athletes. Others asked for her autograph.

A few times she was swarmed by groups of people asking for pictures and autographs and she stuck for over an hour trying to please everyone and doing her best to remain friendly and polite. Now she understood how Kise felt.

She was also featured in several sports magazines. While Seirin as a whole was, many wanted interviews and pictures with just her. Through all of them, she do her best to insist that Seirin’s win wouldn’t have been possible without Kuroko, but most ignored that detail.

Kuroko wasn’t too upset. He said that Akashi was right, the less people that knew about him the more effective he was as a shadow.

And she got fan mail daily, many of them love letters… from bot boys and girls. At the start of practice, Riko would drop a stack of envelopes in her lap. Many contained gift certificates to Magi Burger, after an interviewer asked her about her favorite place to eat. Some sent artwork of her…. Many with her paired with one of the generation of miracles and a few that she would not let anyone else see. The most popular generation of miracle she was featured with by far was Kise, all because of that picture posted to social media months ago. There were even a few of her and Kuroko, often titled “shadow and light”. So Kuroko wasn’t completely unknown.

A few times, some of her fans would show up at Seirin’s practice wanting to meet her or watch her play. Riko usually either sent them away or made them wait outside till the end.

But towards the end of January, things calmed down. She’d get the occasional letter or person stopping her on street wanting a picture. But it wasn’t near as crazy as it had been.

Kagami was walking home with Kuroko holding her most recent envelop. She opened it up, pulled out the paper that was inside and sighed.

It was of her and Kuroko, holding each other with Kuroko resting his head on her chest.

“What is it?” Kuroko started to look.

“Uh it’s nothing-“ She started to raise it up to where he couldn’t see but Kuroko was too quick. The picture wasn’t naughty, but it was a little embarrassing because it was romantic in nature.

“I think it looks nice.” he said smiling.

She took a closer look. It was very well drawn. Kagami also realized that, even though he said that he was best left in the shadows, Kuroko probably liked being remembered from time to time.

“Yeah it is…” She said and studied the picture. “But they were way too generous with my chest.” She looked down at herself. “If mine were that big, they’d hit me in the face anytime I went to shoot a basket-”

She stopped suddenly, wondering if that was too vulgar for Kuroko, but he was quietly laughing.

“Anyway, I hope next year we get some good first years.” Kagami said. “We’re really going to hurt without Kiyoshi and I do want to win again.”

The center position was going to have to rotate between her and Mitobe. She could play center just fine, but she much preferred power forward. If Fukada could just get a little taller then maybe she wouldn’t be needed as center, but as it was, there were some teams where she would have to play the position.

“In middle school, was there anyone like the uncrowned kings in the year below yours?”

Kuroko shrugged. “I really don’t know. The generation of miracles overshadowed everyone.” He said. “But, because we won the Winter Cup, there will be a lot of new players that will want to to be on Seirin’s team.”

That gave her some comfort. “We really could use more reserve players.” She said. Their small team was the sole reason that they would never survive over time against the bigger schools.

The, realizing what day it was, she changed the subject.

“Your birthday is next weekend.” She said.

Kuroko nodded. “I’m actually very excited about it.”

“You are?” She raised her eyebrow. Like always, Kuroko showed very little emotion in his voice. He might as well have said that the weather was nice.

He nodded. “It’s the one day a year that I’m not forgotten.”

“Oh…” She said looking down, sad to hear that. She would just have to make it extra special that year.

“Anyway, the first years and I want to throw you a-“

His cell phone rang.  Kuroko checked to see who was calling. “One second.” He answered. “Hi Aomine-kun.”

The two spoke for awhile, and from what little Kagami could gather from Kuroko’s side of the conversation, it sounded like they were making plans.

“Yeah I’d love to. I’ll see you next weekend.” He finished and hung up.

“So… what did Aomine want?” Kagami asked feeling nosy. She hadn’t seen or spoken to him or the other generation of miracles, save for a few texts, since the Winter Cup finals. Life had just been too busy. Well, that wasn’t quite true. She and Momoi still got together a few times a week to play basketball. But Aomine hadn’t joined them. Momoi said that he was too busy practicing because he wanted to beat Kagami next time they played.

She wasn’t sure if Kuroko had seen his friends. Most of the past month had been spent with her and there would have been very few opportunities, so she didn’t think so.

“The generation of miracles want to get together on my birthday for a street ball game.” It was one of the few times he looked excited about anything.

“Oh….” Kagami replied. “The first years and I were wanted to throw you a birthday party that day and I was just about to tell you. We were going to have the whole team over.”

“Um…” Kuroko looked down at the ground. “I want to do that too…”

“Hey don’t feel bad, you should absolutely go and play with your friends.” She put her hand on his shoulder and wished she had worded her previous statement better. “We’ll have your party after your game at my place so you can do both.”

He looked up at her, relieved.

“And… if your out playing basketball I won’t have to yell at you to stop helping us set up.”

“Um… but I should-“

“Tetsuya, it’s your birthday party! You shouldn’t have to do any work for it!”

And then another idea came to her. One that she couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of sooner.

 “And you should invite the generation of miracles.”

Kuroko tilted his head. “Are you sure? That’s going to be a lot more people-”

“It’s your party.” She interrupted him. “Whoever you want to be there should be there.”

“Okay.” His expression was a mixture of happiness and concern that she was going to be doing too much work.

Kagami sighed. “I’m going to call Satsuki and invite them for you.” She pulled out her cell phone and opened up a new text.

_Hey, the Seirin first years and I are throwing Tetsuya a birthday party after your street ball game. You, Aomine, Kise, Akashi, Midorima, and Murasakibara are all invited. Please come, it will make Tetsuya happy. And don’t worry about bringing anything, Furihata, Kawahara, Fukada and I will take care of everything. Just make sure Tetsuya has fun at the streetball game._

She sent the text. About a minute later she got a response.

_Thank you Kagami! We’ll be there! I’m so excited!_

“So there you go, your friends are coming.” She ruffled his hair. “And you’re not going to help us put together the party!”

She realized that one of the miracles might need a little more convincing to come to Tokyo. This same one also might need a place to stay for the weekend.

She opened up another text.

_Hey Tatsuya, we’re throwing a birthday party for Tetsuya. I’d really like to see you again and I’m sure Tetsuya would love to have you at his birthday party. And the generation of miracles want to get together for a streetball game that day… and Murasakibara might need a little convincing to go… can you get him to come? You both are more than welcome to stay at my apartment that weekend._

It was a bit longer before she finally got a response.

_I’ll be there Taiga. And I think I know a way to get Atsushi to attend ;)_

* * *

 

Momoi practically squealed as she sent the text to Kagami. She had been wondering about a party afterwards with food and cake with all his friends… middle and high school included, and now Kagami had her covered.

“Hey Satsuki, what are you so excited about?” Aomine asked. The two of them along with Kise were at Magi Burger planning the streetball game.

“Tai-chan and Seirin’s first years are throwing Tetsu-kun a party after the streetball game and we’re all invited!”

The two looked at her and blinked.

“Don’t worry, Kagami is going to have food, I know everyone will be hungry after the game.”

“So I finally get to go to her place… and she’s cooking for us.” Aomine said trying but failing not to sound too excited.

“But… we still have a problem, how are we going to get Murasakibaracchi to come to Tokyo?”

They had been trying to figure out that problem before Kagami called. Momoi had to listen to Aomine’s stupid idea about leaving a trail of candy bars from Akita all the way to Tokyo. He was only joking but it was still annoying because getting him to attend really was going to be a problem.

Momoi grinned. “I have an idea.” The fact that she knew that all the generation of miracles had a crush on Kagami made the solution to this problem much easier.

She dialed his number. He answered right away. In the background she heard what sounded like a wrestling match on the TV.

“Hi Momo-chin.”

“Murasakibara-kun… we’re having a birthday party for Tetsu-kun on the 30th, we all want to get together for a street ball game and we’d love for you to be there.”

“And why would I go to Tokyo for that?” He grumbled.

“Because we’re going to Kagami apartment after for a party. All the other generation of miracles will be there and they’ll be hitting on her… you’re going to miss out!”

“Huh?” He sounded annoyed. And then he was silent. Momoi could hear Himuro in the background.

“Atsushi, I just got a text from Kagami, she said that we can stay at her place that weekend.”

Murasakibara groaned. “Fine I’ll be there.”

Momoi giggled as they hung up. That had almost been too easy.

“That was kind of low Satsuki.” Aomine said folding his arms.

“Yeah and I can’t believe that worked.” Kise continued.

“Who cares he’s coming, and I wasn’t lying. I know that you’ll all be hitting on Kagami and Murasakibara won’t want to be left out.” Maybe not all of them. There was no way Midorima would openly show his affection. Probably not Akashi either. But Kise and Aomine… yeah they would for sure.

Aomine sighed. “But he’s the one that gets to stay at her house all weekend.”

“Who cares, this is for Kurokocchi right?” Kise spoke. “And I think you’d have to worry more about her child hood friend than him.”

Momoi realized that she still needed to contact Akashi and Midorima about the streetball game.

She texted Akashi first.

_We’re planning a streetball game with the generation of miracles for Tetsu-kun’s birthday on the 30 th. And then we’re going to Kagami’s apartment after for a party. Can you make it?_

_I’ll be there._

She smiled even though she had no doubt that he would attend. Momoi texted him back.

_Yay he’ll be so excited! And don’t worry, we’ve already convinced Murasakibara to come._

Then she texted Midorima.

_We’re having a street ball game with the generation of miracles for Tetsu-kun on his birthday. And then we’re going to Kagami’s apartment for a party after. Please say you’ll be there?_

Midorima was another that may not attend.

He texted her back.

_I’ll see what I’m doing that day._

She wasn’t satisfied with his answer. But there was one person she could contact later that week who would make sure that Midorima was there.

* * *

 

Details of the party had been on her mind the whole walk home. The food, the decorations, the time… When she and Kuroko got back to her apartment, there was one other person Kagami thought to invite. She pulled out her phone and texted Takao.

_Hey we’re having a party for Kuroko on Jan 30 th. I invited the generation of miracles but you’re also welcome. Kuroko would love for you to bet there. And I figured you’d be giving Midorima a ride to the streetball game anyway. _

A few minutes later she got another text.

_I’ll be there Kagami! Thank you!_

She smiled and texted him back the details, mainly her address and the time. Then she grabbed a pen and paper and started to make a list of all the things that they would need.

* * *

 

That week she and Momoi met at the courts. But they didn’t play basketball. Instead, they talked about Kuroko’s birthday, made the final plans and coordinated the time. And then they went out shopping for groceries.

“Kagami are you really making everything? This is a lot.” Momoi said picking up the last of the ingredients needed.

“Don’t worry about it.” She said. “Tatsuya is going to help me with the cooking.” She said.

“And… are you sure that you don’t want anymore help setting up? I don’t have to go to the streetball-“

“No.” Kagami cut her off. “You should be there with your friends. And someone needs to make sure that Tetsuya doesn’t get there too early, or else he’ll try to help us set up. And don’t worry, the other first years and Tatsuya will be helping.”

She nodded but looked down. “If this wasn’t the first time they were all going to be together again… it would have been fun to have you at the streetball game.”

Kagami smiled. “Don’t worry about it, I rather make sure that the party is perfect for Tetsuya. And it sounds like those guys have a lot to work through.”

Truth was, street ball with the generation of miracles did sound like a lot of fun. But those six really needed the time alone together. She also wouldn’t want to be the outsider.

 Besides, Kuroko would have more birthdays.

* * *

 

On the morning of the party, Kagami made him a huge breakfast, figuring that he’d be playing for a few hours and would need the energy. That and she knew that if she left him on his own, he’d just go out and buy a vanilla shake and call that a meal.

Kuroko left shortly after he ate to meet his friends, thanking her for the meal.

Kagami was left with Nigou for an hour. She started to clean up her apartment, hoping for it to be spotless for the team. But when they knocked on the door, it still wasn’t finished.

When she opened the door, to her surprise, Hyuga was there with the first years, wanting to help set up for the party. She had told Riko and the others to arrive when the party started, but she figured that Hyuga felt that he had the responsibility to oversee everything.

“Sorry about the mess.” She said as she led them into the apartment. The sink was still full of dishes, she really had used a lot to make breakfast. And there were still things lying around that needed to be cleaned up.

“Kagami… my  mom is a house wife and your apartment is far cleaner than ours.” Furihata laughed. “But I’ll help you clean up.”

She gave an embarrassed laugh. It really wasn’t that bad, just not up to her standards. She wouldn’t let Kuroko clean up his dishes, not on his birthday, and that led to the extra work.

Kawahara took Nigou outside and Hyuga and Fukada sat on the floor and worked on the decorations.

“Hey those aren’t even!” Hyuga scolded.

“Come on captain, they’re not that bad.” Fukada stuck his lower lip out.

When she and Furihata finished cleaning the apartment, Kagami got out the ingredients for dinner as well as for the cake. Then she checked the time.

Himuro was late. Earlier he had texted her, explaining that he and Murasakibara had left later than planned and that Murasakibara was going straight to the court from the train station. That left Himuro wandering Tokyo all by himself. She sighed, figuring that he probably got lost. If he didn’t arrive in ten minutes she’d give him a call.

Within that that time, Kawahara arrived back with Nigou. Nigou ran over and jumped in Fukada’s lap, making him accidently cut across one of the decorations. He laughed and pet the dog while Kawahara went to help with the decorations.

Then there was a knock at the door.

She ran to answer it, hoping it was Himuro. And when she opened the door, he stood on the other side holding two large bags. Next to him, Takao waved to her.

“Sorry I’m late Taiga, I got a little lost… but he found me and gave me a write.” Himuro pointed to Takao.

“I’m hope it’s okay that I’m early.” Takao said nervously.

“You found Tatsuya so it’s fine.” She moved so that he could enter the apartment. He walked slowly past her and said hi to the other freshmen.

Kagami walked outside and looked over the rail to the ground.  She found where Takao had parked his bike.

 “You rode here in that?” She asked trying not to laugh.

“Yeah…” Himuro stood next to her, their arms almost touching. “It wasn’t that bad, I didn’t have to carry mine and Atsushi’s bags through the city.” He said.

When they went back into the apartment, Takao was sitting with the other first years holding paper and a pair of scissors.

“If you’re here early, you’re going to help us set up for the party!” Hyuga said to him.

“Okay, I don’t mind.” He said and then started cutting.

Himuro turned to her. “Is Alex here?”

Kagami shook her head. “She’s visiting a hot spring with your coach.” Kagami pulled up a picture of the two on her cell phone, posing in front of the inn where they were staying. Alex had her arm around Masako and Masako looked as though she were looking to see if anyone was watching them.

Himuro blinked. “We didn’t have practice this week so I didn’t notice that she was gone… but I’m glad those two seem happy together.”

Kagami nodded. She wasn’t sure how long Alex was planning to stay in Japan, but Kagami had a feeling that it would be for a few more months. And she deserved someone that could make her happy. It was just a shame that Masako lived all the way in Akita.

She and Himuro got started on dinner. They started by chopping vegetables. She was a little jealous that he was still so much faster and better than her. But when he was finished with his, he took some of hers and continued to chop.

While two of the dishes were cooking on the stove, she got out the ingredients for the cake.

“We’re making a vanilla cake.” she said. “He likes vanilla shakes, so I figured he’d prefer vanilla over chocolate.”

She glanced over at her blender. Maybe she could make Kuroko a vanilla shake. She had all the ingredients.

When the cake was in the oven baking, they worked on the other dishes. Kagami was more than grateful that she had Himuro to help her. Cooking all day had been more exhausting than she thought it would be.

She the sweat off her forehead. It had probably showed that she had spent hours in front of a hot stove. Kagami checked the time. They had about an hour before the party was to start.

“Tatsuya, would you mind finishing up here, so I can get ready for the party?”

“Yeah go ahead.”

* * *

 

He couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend his birthday. The last time the six of them had played street ball together was second year of middle school, yet it seemed like it had been so much longer.

He ran in front of Kise, stopping a pass from Akashi, and passed to Aomine.

“Thanks Tetsu.” Aomine smiled and then scored before Midorima could block him.

“Kurokocchi I didn’t even see you there.” Kise pouted.

Momoi watched from the sidelines with tears in her eyes. Kuroko smiled at her, knowing how much it meant for her to see everyone enjoying themselves while playing basketball.

When their current game ended, Akashi approached her.

“Momoi, you should play with us.” He said.

“Um… I don’t know…” She said nervously. “You guys are so much better than me.”

“Come on Satsuki, play. You need the practice.” Aomine gestured her over. “And you can be on Tetsu’s team.”

She nodded and stood up. “Okay… Tetsu-kun… I… I just hope I don’t make your team lose.”

Kuroko smiled. “Don’t worry Momoi, you won’t.” After all the work she had done for them in the past, he was happy that she was finally going to play a game. And for her, he’d make sure that his team didn’t lose.

* * *

 

After taking a shower, Kagami was in her room, trying to figure out what to wear. She could put on her sweats… but this was a party. She started to reach for her jeans but then something else caught her eye. She grabbed a skirt. Other than her school uniform, it had been awhile since she had worn one of those. Her school skirt wasn’t the most flattering, this on however…

She grabbed one of her nicer shirts. It was cut a little low, but it wasn’t like she’d be spilling out. And it would look nice with her skirt.

She dried off her hair and brushed it, deciding to leave it down for the party. And then she grabbed her make up bag. Actually, it was Alex’s but Kagami didn’t think she’d mind if she borrowed some.

She grabbed the eye liner and took a deep breath. It had been a very long time since she had done this, and one little mistake could make her look like a disaster. But she proceeded, remembering what Alex had taught her.

When she was finished, she looked in the mirror satisfied, but not quite recognizing herself. She wondered what the others would think. Nervously, she walked back out to them.

The others stared at her as she made her entrance, none of them saying a word.

“Does it look okay?” She asked eying the ground.

“Kagami you look great!” Takao spoke first and quickly.

“We’re just not used to seeing you like this, but you’re very pretty.” Furihata said blushing a little.

“Don’t worry they’re all find you stunning.” Hyuga mumbled his hand was clenching.

Himuro walked over to her. “You look beautiful Taiga.” He said.

They party was ready to start. The food was all set out and all the decorations were hung up. Himuro had iced the cake and written Happy Birthday Kuroko on it.

Kagami checked the time. The guests should be arriving soon.

* * *

 

The generation of miracles all sat down, breathing heavily and drinking water. The sun was starting to set. Soon it would be time for the birthday party. Kuroko was tempted to call Kagami and ask if they needed anything, but he knew she would get mad if he did.

“Momoicchi, you were really good.” Kise complimented. She might not have been anywhere near their level but she had played much better than anyone thought she would.

Kuroko agreed and he really was impressed with her. She knew when to pass to him and when to instead give the ball to Kise or Akashi. She also knew Aomine’s play well enough that he never stole one of her passes.

Momoi looked down and blushed.

“That’s because she’s been playing with Kagami after school.” Aomine said grinning at her.

“Well that explains a lot.” Akashi said.

Momoi nodded. Aomine kept looking at her as if expecting her to say more.

“You haven’t told them yet have you?” Aomine finally said.

Momoi’s face got very red and she buried her face into her knees. “No… not… not yet!”

“What haven’t you told us Momoicchi?” Kise tilted his head.

She was still quite so Aomine spoke for her again.

“I’m losing my manager next year.” He said.

They all looked at Momoi and she buried her face into her knees.

“Are you quitting the basketball club?” Midorima asked in disbelief. Then he eyed Aomine as if asking what he did for her to make such a decision.

“No… I’m… I’m joining the girl’s team…” She said. “But I’m still going to take data for the boys club, so I won’t be completely gone!”

“And her new notebook for the girl’s is almost finished.” Aomine said. “I can’t believe how fast you got all that information.”

Kuroko put his hand on her shoulder. She had done so much for them, especially Aomine over the years that she deserved something for herself.

“You’re going to do great Momoi.” He said. “And I’ll come and watch your first game.”

“Me too!” Kise said practically jumping out of his seat.

“I’ll be there too.” Midorima adjusted his glasses. “Takao will give me a ride.”

“Will one of you film it so that Murasakibara and I can watch?” Akashi asked.

“No you guys really don’t have to come!” Momoi said holding her hands in front of her. “I’m only starting out as a reserve player! I might not even play in my first game!”

“Yeah… after those few practices you went to, they already want you as a sub for their point guard. That’s a huge responsibility.” Aomine said. “But it doesn’t matter what you say, we’re going to your game.”

She nodded but still looked unsure.”

“You be a great asset to their team.” Akashi said seeming very proud that she was going to be a point guard. “And if you need any advice, you can always call me.”

She smiled at him.

Midorima looked at the time. “Should that have been our last game?” He asked staring at the basketball that had rolled to the other end of the court.

Everyone nodded. They were all too tired to keep playing anyway.

“I want to go to Kaga-chin’s and get some snacks.” Murasakibara said leaning up against the fence. He had brought a few protein bars with him but Kuroko was sure he was out of them now.

The others were also hungry and agreed.

“Kuroko, is Kagami really okay with all of us going to the party?” Akashi asked. “This is a lot people. And isn’t your whole team going to be there?”

“Yes, she said all my friends should be there… no she insisted on it.”

“And she texted me and told me to invite everyone.” Momoi confirmed. “I went shopping with her a few days ago, she really put a lot of work into the party, and she is expecting us all.”

“You found a really nice person to be your new light Kuroko.” Akashi said.

He smiled and nodded. Kagami could be a little rough around the edges but she really was a kind person.

“Are you saying I’m not?” Aomine frowned.

“Dai-chan, you can be really mean sometimes.” Momoi rolled her eyes and the others laughed.

“So… what are we going to do about her?” Kise asked. “I mean… we all like her.”

Both Midorima and Murasakibara looked at the ground blushing, Aomine frowned, and Momoi scrunched up a little. The only one who didn’t change was him or Akashi.

“We could play a basketball game, one on one, and the person that wins the most games gets her.” Aomine grinned as though he were sure that he’d be the victor.

Murasakibara straightened up and looked as though he were about to challenge him, but Akashi spoke first.

“No.” He said and next to him Midorima nodded. “This is for her to decide.”

Aomine folded his arms.

“And…” Akashi continued. “If she does want one of us…. we’ll be happy for her and whoever it is.”

Aomine groaned but nodded in agreement.

Kise sighed. “Who’d have thought we’d all fall in love with the same girl?”

“Why wouldn’t we?” Akashi said. “Kagami loves basketball as much as we do, and she was the one to defeat all of us.”

“Yeah… I guess that makes sense.” Kise said and then thought for a moment. “But what if she’s the kind of girl that wants more than one of us… or even all of us…” He grinned. “Would anyone be willing to share?”

Midorima fixed his glasses, Murasakibara blushed, Aomine seemed to be considering it, Momoi looked annoyed and Akashi for once, looked like he wasn’t sure what to think.

Kuroko just laughed. He knew Kise would be more than willing, and he wasn’t sure if Kagami would want to. But it was fun to see his friend’s reactions to that very suggestion.

“Hey Tetsu.” Aomine spoke much more serious than he had all day. “There really isn’t anything going on between you two?” It seemed to be the hundredth time he had asked him that question since the Touou game.

Kuroko shook his head. “Taiga doesn’t date her teammates.”

He sighed. “Then, I need to know, do you have feelings for her? If you do I’ll back off.”

“She’s a very good friend, that is all.” Kuroko agreed that the two shouldn’t date. It could bring on too much drama if things didn’t work out. He loved being her friend and he didn’t want to keep her from getting into a relationship with one of his friends if that is what she wanted.

“You’re sure?”

Kuroko sighed. He was grateful that Aomine was thinking of him… but enough already. “Aomine-kun, I’ve told you over and over that there is nothing between us. Why do still think there is?”

“Because you call each other by your first names, you stay the night at her place all the time, you two have a dog, she cooks meals for you, she’s your basketball partner… why would anyone not think something was going on!”

The others laughed, and Kuroko joined in. It was true that they were very close, probably closer than most friends. But Kagami would stick to her rule, no dating teammates.

He also knew something that the others didn’t. Kagami had feelings for all of them… he wouldn’t be surprised if she did take up Kise’s suggestion. But as things were right now, they all had a chance with her.

They got up and grabbed their things.

“Let’s take a picture before we go.” Momoi said and went to get her camera.

They all stood together on the court. Momoi set the timer and then ran to get into the picture.  


“Kurokocchi pose with me!” Kise said and then wrapped his arm around him.

“Huh?” Kuroko looked at him and then the camera flashed.

Before going to the party, they were all going to change clothes and wash up. Akashi and Murasakibara would be going to Midorima’s place because he had the most room while the rest went to their own homes.

“We’ll meet back here in an hour?” Midorima suggested and everyone agreed.

* * *

 

The party was all set up. She had even made a vanilla shake. All that it needed now was Kuroko.

Kagami received a text from Riko, informing her that she and the rest of the second years would be arriving soon.

Everyone else stood around chatting. Himuro and Hyuga spoke to each other. Kagami over heard Himuro telling her captain about Alex training them in basketball when they were younger.

Nearby, Takao and Furihata were talking. Takao told him that he would definitely be on second string next year as Izuki’s sub. Furihata just got red faced and said he wasn’t sure about that. And Kawahara and Fukada sat on the ground petting Nigou.

Kagami kept looking everything over, hoping that she didn’t forget anything.

“It all looks good right?” She asked.

 “yeah what are you worried about?” Hyuga eyed her.

“I’ve just never hosted a party this big.” She said. “And I’m just worried that there won’t be enough food for everyone.”

“If we need more we’ll just order something in.” Himuro said walking over to her. “You have all those snacks in the pantry, so I wouldn’t worry.”

The door bell rung. Kagami felt her heart fluttering. Kuroko and the generation of miracles had arrived.

“That must be Kuroko, I’ll get it!” Furihata jumped up and ran to the door.

She checked herself one more time in a nearby mirror. What was she thinking getting herself all pretty, her mascara could run, or her lipstick could smudge and she’d look like a total nightmare. But when she saw herself in the mirror, she looked fine.

Fukada reached for his friend. “Hey Furihata you do realize-“

But he already had the door open.

“What Akashi!” They heard him shriek.

“I tried to warn him.” Fukada sighed.

“Did he seriously forget that the generation of miracles were coming over?” Kawahara laughed. “And that he’d be seeing Akashi today… I don’t think he’s stopped talking about him since the finals.”

Kuroko and the generation of miracles slowly made their way inside.

“Hey Kagami,” Aomine spoke entering the room and turned to look at her. “You have a very nice- huh!” His eyes widened once he saw her and he stood there staring.

“Hey guys.” She smiled and felt her face get a little red.

“Kagamicchi you look great!” Kise walked from behind Aomine and gave her a thumbs up.

Aomine just kept staring at her blinking. “What…?”

Midorima took one glance at her and then looked away adjusting his glasses all while hiding his face with his hand.

And then Murasakibara followed him in holding Furihata. He looked at her. “Oh Kaga-chin, you are a girl.”

“Of course she is!” Midorima scolded him.

Momoi ran over and threw her arms around her. “Tai-chan! You’re so pretty!”

“Thanks.” She smiled. “You too Momoi.”

Momoi had also fixed herself up for the party. She was sure they had all stopped somewhere and cleaned up after the game. None of them looked like they had been playing streetball for hours. And Kuroko was not wearing the same clothes he left in.

“Kuroko, your new light really is beautiful.” She overheard Akashi.

“Was street ball fun?” She asked Momoi.

Momoi nodded. “Even though Akashi still won every game.”

Kuroko walked over to her looking around at everything.

“Taiga… I didn’t know you were doing this much…”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s your party. Enjoy it.” She folded her arms. “Besides, I had a lot of help, the first years, Hyuga, Himuro, and even Takao. Trust me I didn’t do it all myself.”

Kuroko nodded and smiled. “Thank you.”

“Oh and…” She handed him the vanilla shake. “I made this for you. It’s not Magi Burgers but-“

Kuroko took it out of her hand and started to drink. His eyes widened. “It’s really good Taiga.”

Nigou ran to Kuroko barking and waging its tail, right past Kagami’s legs.

Kagami shrieked and jumped as the dog ran by. Kuroko set down his shake and picked up Nigou.

Kagami’s yelp was enough to snap Aomine out of his daze. He walked over.

“I still can’t believe you’re afraid of that little dog.” He said and started to scratch Nigou behind the ears. Kise and Momoi also walked over and started petting the dog.

“I’m okay of that one as long as it doesn’t sneak up on me.” Kagami said frowning.

“Nigou is so cute!” Momoi said scratching under its chin.

“Nigou?” Akashi walked over and started petting the puppy. “Is there a number one?”

Fukada and Kawahara pointed to Kuroko.

“Hello, I am Ichigou.” Kuroko said and bowed.

Murasakibara went to the pantry and pulled three bags of chips off the top shelf and carried them to the table. He opened one.

“Hey it’s rude to eat all the snacks when you first arrive.” Midorima scolded.

“Kaga-chin bought these for me.” He glared at Midorima.

“Atsushi, you should wash your hands first.” Himuro said.

Murasakibara groaned and got up to walk to the kitchen.

There was another knock at the door. Kawahara let Seirin’s second years into the apartment.

“The generation of miracles are here?” Riko blinked looking around the room.

“Yeah, I invited them… I guess I forgot to tell you guys.” She had only spoken to Riko briefly about the party in the week leading up to it.

“Kagami!” Riko blinked looking at her. “I didn’t recognize you!”

“Yeah…” Kagami laughed.

Izuki, Mitobe, and Koganei walked over to her looking at her.

“So she was a beauty underneath all alone.” Izuki said.

“We do have a very beautiful ace.” Kiyoshi said and then spotted Murasakibara in the kitchen.

 “Hi Murasakibara.” He greeted with his warm smile.

“Ugh Kiyoshi!”

Izuki and Koganei then went over to Kuroko to wish him a happy birthday. They both put their arms around him while Mitobe patted him on the back. Tsuchida had his girlfriend with him and he took her over to the table where she sat next to Riko.

Everyone else sat down to eat. Midorima sat next to Kagami.

“You really do look nice.” He said not making eye contact. Next to him Takao gave him a smile that suggested he was proud of friend.

“Thank you.” Kagami blushed.

Kise sat on the other side of her.  But just as soon as he sat down, Aomine managed to squeeze between the two getting the spot next to her.

“Aominecchi really?” Kise glared at him. But then he noticed that he was next to Kuroko and became a lot happier.

“Kurokocchi you need to eat!” He said bringing food over to him.

“Yes Tetsu-kun you need to get bigger!” Momoi had more food.

Kagami grabbed her own food. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast that morning and was now starving. Aomine grabbed as much food as her. He stuck the first piece in his mouth and his eyes widened, and he started stuffing his mouth with more.

Nearby Akashi was sitting next to Furihata talking to him.

“I hope we can play again sometime Furihata.” He said.

“Uh yeah…” Furihata said looking unsure of himself.

As far as she could tell, everyone at the party was having fun. Kiyoshi even managed to start a conversation with Murasakibara… that was after he got on his good side by offering him some candy. Riko spent most of her time with Tsuchida’s girlfriend. Izuki and Koganei kept giving Nigou table food, and Hyuga sat near Riko, often trying to join in the conversation with the two girls.

When they finished eating, Kagami brought out the cake and lit the candles.

“Congratulations on your birthday Kuroko!” Everyone said.

Kuroko gave a big smile and then blew out all the candles. Maybe Kagami had gone over board when she put sixteen candles on the cake because it took several tries for him to get them all.  And now she was grateful that she didn’t get the trick candles that would relight after you blew them out.

* * *

 

Everyone ate cake and the party continued. It was dark by the time people started to leave.  Kagami and Kuroko led their team to the door to say their goodbyes.

Kise yawned. It had been a long day but he still wasn’t ready to leave. He eyed Midorima, who was at the sink washing dishes. Curious, he stood up and walked over.

“Midorimacchi, what are you doing?”

Midorima looked up at him. “Kagami was nice enough to invite us to the party. I’m not leaving her place a mess.”

Kise blinked. Maybe he should have thought of that. Kagami did put a lot of work into he party and the place was now a mess.

Aomine walked over and frowned. “He’s just trying to get points with her. Let me do those.” He started to reach into the sink for the dish that Midorima was washing.

“I have no ulterior motive, I just don’t like leaving people’s places a mess. If you want to help, then wipe down the counters. That’s something that even you can handle.”

Kise started to reach for a dish towel, wanting to help but also to do something easy. “I’ll dry-“ He started but someone had already beat him to the task. His jaw nearly dropped when he saw who it was.

“Akashicchi you’re doing chores!”

Akashi nodded and looked down at the dish he was drying. “Um.. am I doing this right?” He held it up. The dish was completely dry.

Kise sighed. “Yeah… there’s really no way you could mess that one up… just but them back in the cabinet when you’re done.”

Then he blinked, unable to believe that he had told Akashi of all people what to do. But Akashi took his advice and put the dry dish back in the cabinet with all the others. And then he moved onto another.

Kise looked around for something to do and found a broom. There were crumbs all over the floor. Although, this certainly wasn’t going to be an easy task like he had hoped.

“Dai-chan I can’t believe your cleaning up!” Momoi said as she walked over.

“Why not?” He glared at her.

“Because of your room! I haven’t seen the floor in years!”

Aomine scoffed and got back to cleaning the counters.

 Momoi grabbed a rag and started wiping down the table.

“Did you all come to a party to clean?” Murasakibara leaned back on the couch and yawned.

Midorima glared at him. “Kagami is letting you stay her this weekend. You should at least pick up all your snack bags and vacuume up those crumbs.”

“No way.” Murasakibara folded his arms.

“Murasakibara, do as he says.” Akashi ordered. “You did make a mess.”

Murasakibara groaned and got up. He grabbed his snack bags and threw them into the trash.

Takao carried other dishes left around the apartment to the sink quietly laughing, amused with the whole situation.

* * *

 

“Kagami, thank you for inviting all of us.” Kiyoshi said. “You really put a lot of work into this party.”

“Hyuga, Furihata, Kawahara, and Fukada really helped.” She said not wanting to take all the credit. “Himuro and Takao too.”

“I heard that you’re going to America to get surgery.” Himuro said to Kiyoshi. “Alex told me that you’ll be leaving Japan at the end of the school year.”

Kiyoshi nodded and smiled. “I may be able to play in college.” He turned to his under classmen. “Kuroko, Happy Birthday.”

Kuroko smiled.

“I’m glad you had fun today.” Riko said. “And Kagami, thank you for hosting.”

“And don’t let the generation of miracles stay too late.” Hyuga grumbled.

“Hyuga, Kagami is a big girl, she can handle herself.” Kiyoshi patted him on the shoulder.

“And don’t worry, I’ll be here. I’ll keep Atsushi in line.” Himuro said.

Hyuga seemed to feel a little better.

Seirin finished saying their goodbyes and then left.

As they were walking back into the apartment, the generation of miracles were making their way to the door.

Kise ran ahead and hugged Kuroko. “Kurokocchi! I hope you had a fun birthday party!”

“I did Kise-kun.” Kuroko said. “Thank you for helping to organize the street ball game.”

Once Kise him go, Aomine stepped in front of him.

“Tetsu…. Happy birthday.” He said and then reached his hand out into a fist bump. Tetsu returned it. “We should play more street ball soon.”

Kuroko nodded. “Thank you for everything today Aomine-kun.”

Aomine then turned to Kagami. He stared at her for a moment and then looked at the ground. “Thank you for letting us come over.”

She smiled. “You should come and play basketball with me and Momoi sometime… or we could always get together and play, you do owe me a one on one.”

“Um yeah… we should sometime... definitely.” He looked as though he wanted to kick himself.

“Murasakibara, you behave yourself tonight.” Midorima glared at him.

“I’ll make sure he does.” Himuro assured him.

 Then Midorima turned to Kuroko. “Happy birthday Kuroko… Kagami, you should rest tonight, you worked hard today.”

“Yeah and thanks for inviting me, I had fun.” Takao grinned. “And happy birthday Kuroko.” The two left together, not waiting for the others.

“Tetsu-kun!” Momoi threw her arms around him. “I’m so glad everyone was together today!” Her eyes started to well up with tears.

“Me too Momoi.” Kuroko hugged her back.

Then she hugged Kagami. “Tai-chan, they were all impressed with my basketball today!”  


“I’m glad.” Kagami hugged her back. “You’ve gotten very good.”

Momoi squeezed her tighter.

“Satsuki, you can let her go now.”

“Momoi was really good, I could tell she had been practicing with you.” Akashi said. “Kagami, you should play with us next time we get together.”

“I’d love too.” She said.

“Happy Birthday Kuroko.” Akashi said before he left.

Kise, Aomine, and Momoi all left together shortly after.

With everyone gone, Kagami sighed.

“I guess we better go clean up.” She said. She was completely exhausted but it had all been worth it.

Kuroko nodded.

“Not you Tetsuya, you’re not cleaning up on your birthday! I meant me and Tatsuya!”

“But-“

“No buts! You’re not cleaning! Go watch TV, read a book, or rest!”

She then gestured Himuro to follow.

But when she was fully inside the apartment, her jaw nearly dropped. The place was clean… probably moreso than it was that morning. Dishes were washed and put away, the floor had been swept and vacuumed, tables cleaned off… it was like no party had taken place.

Murasakibara sat on the couch eating some snacks and barely paying attention to the TV.

“Did… the generation of miracles clean my apartment?”

She turned to Kuroko who just stared at everything wide eyed.

“Atsushi, is that what happened?” Himuro asked.

Murasakibara scoffed. “Yeah, and Mido-chin made me vaccume the floors.” He said. “Mine-chin said it was all to get points.”

“Points?” She blinked unsure of what he meant. Maybe it was some game they were playing. “But thank you for helping to clean up.” She’d have to thank the others later.

“Looks like you don’t have any work to do tonight.” Himuro said gesturing for her to go sit down.

She sat next to Murasakibara and grabbed the remote.

“Will Kiyoshi play basketball again?” He asked and stuck a chip in his mouth.

“He’s going to America to get surgery… he won’t play next year but you might play him again in college.”

Murasakibara didn’t say anything, but he looked a little conflicted.

“Next year, I’ll be playing center against Yosen.” She said.

“Huh?” He looked at her.

“I’m now the tallest on the team.” She said and then sighed. “And even I’m still too short to really take you on.”

Murasakibara just stared at her as if he wasn’t sure what to say or do.

“Murasakibara-kun, please don’t hurt Taiga.” Kuroko said giving him a look.

“I’m not going to hurt her!” Murasakibara folded his arms.

“He’s only saying that because you’ll be in very close contact with her.” Himuro grinned.

Murasakibara blushed.

“Hey guys, be quiet I’m trying to watch this.” Kagami said pretending to focus on some TV drama that just happened to catch her attention. But really, she was just trying to get them to stop teasing Murasakibara.

* * *

 

_Extra_

It was the weekend before graduation, when the third-year basketball players were having their party. Only the top eight teams from Tokyo were attending.

Kagami had been told that it was a nicer event, so she fixed herself up much like she had for Kuroko’s birthday party. No one, who didn’t know her, would have guessed that she was a basketball player. The average person on the streets would have probably thought she was one of their girlfriends.

Kuroko wanted to meet up with Aomine, Kise, Momoi, and Midorima beforehand, but he also wanted to go with her. So they met them near the restaurant where the party was being held.

“Sorry we’re a little late.” Kagami apologized and picked up her pace to catch up to the others. Aomine, Momoi, Kise, Midroima, and Takao were all waiting. “Kuroko fell asleep on the couch earlier, and when he woke up he had the worst bed head. I tried to pat it down, but that didn’t work so I had to bring him to the bathroom and… it took a lot of water.”

Aomine eyed Kuroko. “Tetsu are you sure!”

Kuroko nodded. “Yes Aomine, Taiga was just helping me.”

Kagami had no idea what they were talking about but she didn’t question it.

Aomine looked down at her feet. “Kagami you walked all the way here in those?” She was wearing stiletto heels.

“Yeah, you didn’t think I could walk in these did you?” She smirked. But of course, she could. Alex had taught her long ago, when she insisted that she wear them for a middle school dance. It was a nightmare finding a pair her size.

“No… I never would have though you could.” Aomine folded his arms. “I’m surprised that you’re not falling on your face.”

“Those are really high Tai-chan!” Momoi said. She only had a small heel on her shoe.

“Your feet are going to hurt by the end of the night.” Kise said. “I know a lot of girls that can only last an hour wearing those. And they’re all models.”

“They’ll be fine.” But she didn’t doubt him. Kagami had already planned to soak them in warm water when she got home that night. “If they become a problem I’ll take them off.”

 “Still, you’re a basketball player, you don’t want to hurt your feet.” Midorima said adjusting his glasses. “If you need it, I’ll have Takao give you a ride home.”

“And you can both ride together!” Takao grinned. “But it may be a little tight so you two will have to get real close.” He winked.

Midorima glared at him.

As they walked Aomine looked up at her.

“Those shoes make you taller than me.” He said.

“I know.” She grinned.

They arrived at the party. It was already crowded. Kagami scanned the room, picking out all the graduating third years.

Kasamatsu was the first to see them and he walked over, completely focused on Kagami, blushing. “H-hello” He said to her his hands shaking. “N-nice….”

Kise put his hand over his face. “Senpai do you really not recognize her…”

Kasamatsu took a closer look.

“Kagami!” He got the attention of a few people nearby. “I thought you were some girl Kise brought from his modeling agency!” He sighed. “And to think, that’s what I was playing against…”

Kagami blushed at the compliment.

Imayoshi wondered over and wrapped his arm around Kasamatsu’s shoulder. “And think of all the times you’ve bumped into her.” He grinned. “If only you knew…”

“Shut up and let me go.” Kasamatsu pushed him off.

“You really do have good taste Midorima.” Otsubo walked up next to him and winked.

“Kagami I think this is the first time I’ve seen you not covered in sweat.” Kimura said. “But damn…”

Soon she was surrounded by third years and a few second years.

“She really is a cute girl.” Imayoshi commented staying back from the crowd.

“Hey, back off.” Aomine said to the third years. “We’re the ones that brought her here.”

“You’re going to get her for another two years.” Miyaji glared at him. “Just let us talk to her for a few minutes.”

Imayoshi then followed Kasamatsu as he walked away from the crowd. “So I was thinking about starting a streetball team…”

* * *

 

Riko stood by watching and folded her arms. “I don’t get it… Momoi is right next to her. But they’re all talking to Kagami”

“That’s because they all just found out that a very pretty girl was the one that beat them.” Kiyoshi smiled. “Come on, just let her enjoy it.”

Next to them, Hyuga was fuming and squeezing his drink so hard, it looked as though it would break.

Wakamatsu walked over and sat next to them. “Kiyoshi you’re really not playing next year?” He asked.

Kiyoshi shook his head. “The Winter Cup final was my last game, I really over did it…” He patted his knee. “But I have no regrets.”

Wakamatsu nodded, understanding everything.

“But I’ll be going to America to get surgery… I may be able to play in college.”

“I hope I’ll get to play you again someday.” Wakamatsu said holding his head down.

“Me too.” Otsubo walked over and joined them. “Please get better, I want to see you on the court my second year of college.”

Kiyoshi smiled. “I’ll do my best.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For that flashback, I wanted to show Kagami's change in attitude from the beginning of the story. Wanting to just leave and get back to America to wanting to stay in Japan with her team and looking forward to the next year. 
> 
> As I was editing, I kind of realized that, because they hang out on a weekly basis, that Kagami and Momoi would have probably spoken about Kuroko's party and planned it together. But the fic was in it's editing stage and making that big of a change would really change a lot. So I just had it that the two groups only started planning that week. (And it was Aomine's idea in this fic for the streetball game.) I at least had them to some last minute coordinating and go shopping together.
> 
> There was no need to schedule a practice game between Yosen and Rakuzan because Murasakibara had enough of a motivation to go to Tokyo. I always wondered who played in that practice game in the show. Were Okamura, Fukui, and Mayuzumi playing? Or was it only the underclassmen?)
> 
> I also feel that fem Kagami would think to say, "Hey let's invite all your friend's to the party!" I'm kind of surprised that canon Kagami didn't think to do that, if anything for Kuroko. But, fem Kagami is closer friends with them than canon Kagami was so...
> 
> I also had her invite Takao because there was no reason not too. She and Takao are friends in this fic and she'd have invited him whether or not Midorima needed a ride. I always thought it was funny that he just showed up at the party with Himuro. lol the dude heard there was a party and was like "I'm there!"
> 
> Momoi joining the girl's basketball team. I like this ending for her. I always thought the girl needed to do something for herself. She would be a very good point guard. She has notes on everyone and would know exactly how to get by them and set up a play against each team. Actually, she'd be terrifying... especially with Kagami training her.
> 
> Alex is going to be spending a lot of her time the next few years living in Japan with Kagami, so that Kagami isn't living by herself without a parent. She will take frequent trips to Akita though and will have to go to the US from time to time.
> 
> As for the party, I tried to include everything that happened. Probably the most notable that was missing was Aomine looking for dirty magazines. It wouldn't make much sense for him to look for those in Fem Kagami's apartment... or maybe I could have had him find some of the artwork of him and Kagami that fans have sent in... maybe in an one shot someday.
> 
> I loved when Furihata opened the door and the generation of miracles were on the other side. I wanted to include that, but he'd know that the generation of miracles were already coming... so I just wrote that he forgot about them.
> 
> Tsuchida's girlfriend... We saw her briefly before the Rakuzan game, but we only saw the back of her head. I've always headcanoned that she and Riko were friends.
> 
> Kagami was totally making herself look hot for the generation of miracles. And it worked.
> 
> As for the extra section. I wanted to write a little more with the other characters. But there wasn't much that I could write for the party.
> 
> I was reading Kasamatsu's page on the wiki and it turns out that he's very shy around girls... I don't think I included that in any of the chapters so, we'll just say that he thought of Kagami as one of the guys and wasn't affected by her. That was until he saw her all made up.
> 
> On the Wiki, it says that the character that Wakamatsu has his eye on is Kiyoshi, and that Kiyoshi has his eye on Otsubo. So I had the two talk to him and wish him well. Murasakibara won't admit it, but he also wants Kiyoshi to get better so he can play him again.
> 
> This was a very fun fic to write! I didn't think fem Kagami would be this popular! I want to say thank you to everyone who gave me comments, especially Arima, Lazycrazydazy, LargScherwiz , Kagamicchi, Lazyraindancer, Kuraichi, Grey Monkey, Parenthenopaues, and Mariescott. (I hope I didn't forget anyone, if I did forget a frequent commenter let me know and I'll write you a oneshot at your request for extra stories!) If it wasn't for you guys commenting on so many chapters, this fic probably would have died at chapter ten. lol. So many chapters I dreaded writing but you guys really gave me the motivation to get through them! And really all the comments were helpful. It was always a huge motivator to see new people comment or give a kudos because it let me know that people were still enjoying the fic.
> 
> I think every Kagami x GOM pair had at least one fan. (I'm shocked at how popular Midokaga became! But I do love those two now) It was fun to see who everyone wanted her to be with. Murakaga even had a few fans!
> 
> But thank you everyone for reading!


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